Selective suppression of electronic orders via interlayer coupling in superconducting bilayer nickelate thin films
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: The discovery of spin-density-wave (SDW) order in bilayer nickelates has intensified interest in its interplay with superconductivity. Unlike cuprates, where doping rapidly suppresses the Néel temperature, the SDW transition temperature ($T_{\mathrm{SDW}}$) in bilayer nickelates is robust against oxygen annealing and even increases under pressure. Here, we combine oxygen annealing with isovalent rare-earth ($A$-site) substitution to effectively apply $c$-axis uniaxial pressure, realizing superconducting bilayer nickelate films with $T_{\mathrm{SDW}}$ suppressed from 150 K to 70 K. Notably, while SDW order is weakened but remains, a second charge-like anisotropy order is completely eliminated in the superconducting state. Polarization-resolved O $K$-edge X-ray absorption and electronic structure calculations show that strengthened interlayer coupling reconstructs the Fermi surface and weakens the SDW. These findings, consistent with a spin-spinless stripe ground state, provide new insight into the mechanism of density wave formation and their interplay with superconductivity.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Funders: Canadian Light Source, National Natural Science Foundation of China, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chinese University of Hong Kong, Canadian Institutes of Health Research, Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada, Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron, National Key Research and Development Program of China
OpenAlex ID: W7216549817