title: Topological defects coupling smectic modulations to intra-unit-cell nematicity in cuprates.
abstract: We study the coexisting smectic modulations and intra-unit-cell nematicity in the pseudogap states of underdoped Bi(2)Sr(2)CaCu(2)O(8+δ). By visualizing their spatial components separately, we identified 2π topological defects throughout the phase-fluctuating smectic states. Imaging the locations of large numbers of these topological defects simultaneously with the fluctuations in the intra-unit-cell nematicity revealed strong empirical evidence for a coupling between them. From these observations, we propose a Ginzburg-Landau functional describing this coupling and demonstrate how it can explain the coexistence of the smectic and intra-unit-cell broken symmetries and also correctly predict their interplay at the atomic scale. This theoretical perspective can lead to unraveling the complexities of the phase diagram of cuprate high-critical-temperature superconductors.
authors.affiliation: Instituut-Lorentz for Theoretical Physics, Universiteit Leiden, 2300 Leiden, Netherlands.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Mesaros
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Fujita
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Eisaki
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Uchida
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Davis
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sachdev
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zaanen
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Lawler
authors.forename: Eun-Ah
authors.initials: EA
authors.lastname: Kim