Skip to main content

Lund University Publications

LUND UNIVERSITY LIBRARIES

Emergence of low-energy spin waves in superconducting electron-doped cuprates

Krighaar, Kristine M.L. ; Cederholm, Jeppe J. ; Schriver, Ellen M.S. ; Jacobsen, Henrik ; Lauritzen, Christine P. ; Zaliznyak, Igor ; Qvistgaard, Cédric H. ; Hansen, Ursula B. ; Alshemi, Ahmed LU orcid and Stampfl, Anton P.J. , et al. (2026) In Communications Physics 9(1).
Abstract

In order to fully utilize the technological potential of unconventional superconductors, an enhanced understanding of the superconducting mechanism is necessary. In the best performing superconductors, the cuprates, superconductivity is intimately linked with magnetism, although the details of this coupling remain elusive. Here, we address this gap by studying the electron-doped cuprate Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4−δ that has an antiferromagnetic ground state when synthesized and only becomes superconducting after a reductive annealing process. Using neutron spectroscopy, we show that the as-grown crystal exhibits a large spin pseudogap in the magnetic fluctuation spectrum. Annealing removes defects introduced by... (More)

In order to fully utilize the technological potential of unconventional superconductors, an enhanced understanding of the superconducting mechanism is necessary. In the best performing superconductors, the cuprates, superconductivity is intimately linked with magnetism, although the details of this coupling remain elusive. Here, we address this gap by studying the electron-doped cuprate Nd1.85Ce0.15CuO4−δ that has an antiferromagnetic ground state when synthesized and only becomes superconducting after a reductive annealing process. Using neutron spectroscopy, we show that the as-grown crystal exhibits a large spin pseudogap in the magnetic fluctuation spectrum. Annealing removes defects introduced by the commonly employed synthesis method and significantly reduces the spin pseudogap. While the spin pseudogap in the annealed sample likely arises from superconductivity, in the as-grown sample it results from the absence of long-wavelength spin waves. These results reveal a direct connection between defects, magnetism, and superconductivity, offering new insight into the mechanisms underlying high-temperature superconductivity and guiding the design of improved superconducting materials.

(Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and , et al. (More)
; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; ; and (Less)
organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Communications Physics
volume
9
issue
1
article number
228
publisher
Nature Publishing Group
external identifiers
  • scopus:105043889052
ISSN
2399-3650
DOI
10.1038/s42005-026-02650-3
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
0e85ed4c-712f-4389-9eb1-c9d5791e5da3
date added to LUP
2026-09-10 15:33:47
date last changed
2026-09-10 15:34:33
@article{0e85ed4c-712f-4389-9eb1-c9d5791e5da3,
  abstract     = {{<p>In order to fully utilize the technological potential of unconventional superconductors, an enhanced understanding of the superconducting mechanism is necessary. In the best performing superconductors, the cuprates, superconductivity is intimately linked with magnetism, although the details of this coupling remain elusive. Here, we address this gap by studying the electron-doped cuprate Nd<sub>1.85</sub>Ce<sub>0.15</sub>CuO<sub>4−δ</sub> that has an antiferromagnetic ground state when synthesized and only becomes superconducting after a reductive annealing process. Using neutron spectroscopy, we show that the as-grown crystal exhibits a large spin pseudogap in the magnetic fluctuation spectrum. Annealing removes defects introduced by the commonly employed synthesis method and significantly reduces the spin pseudogap. While the spin pseudogap in the annealed sample likely arises from superconductivity, in the as-grown sample it results from the absence of long-wavelength spin waves. These results reveal a direct connection between defects, magnetism, and superconductivity, offering new insight into the mechanisms underlying high-temperature superconductivity and guiding the design of improved superconducting materials.</p>}},
  author       = {{Krighaar, Kristine M.L. and Cederholm, Jeppe J. and Schriver, Ellen M.S. and Jacobsen, Henrik and Lauritzen, Christine P. and Zaliznyak, Igor and Qvistgaard, Cédric H. and Hansen, Ursula B. and Alshemi, Ahmed and Stampfl, Anton P.J. and Grivel, Jean Claude and Song, Dongjoon and Lefmann, Kim and Kamminga, Machteld E.}},
  issn         = {{2399-3650}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  number       = {{1}},
  publisher    = {{Nature Publishing Group}},
  series       = {{Communications Physics}},
  title        = {{Emergence of low-energy spin waves in superconducting electron-doped cuprates}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s42005-026-02650-3}},
  doi          = {{10.1038/s42005-026-02650-3}},
  volume       = {{9}},
  year         = {{2026}},
}