Resolving phonons in superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ at sub-unit-cell resolution
Abstract The role of phonons in cuprates remains controversial, with their complex lattice structure complicating the investigation. Here, we identify phonon modes originating from charge reservoir and superconducting layers of Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+δ using sub-unit-cell resolved electron energy loss spectroscopy in a scanning transmission electron microscope. We reveal several phonon modes exhibiting layer-specific localization: ~78 meV in-plane modes localized in the CuO 2 planes, ~42 meV hybrid (in-plane and out-of-plane) modes in the CuO 2 planes, and ~38 meV hybrid modes in the BiO layers. We also observe a periodic modulation of phonon frequencies induced by the superstructure, spatially correlating with the superconducting gap variation. Our findings offer new insights into the lattice dynamics in cuprates, fostering deeper exploration of the microscopic linkage between structural modulation, electronic inhomogeneity, and electron-phonon coupling.
Authors
- Shichong Wang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5477-697X)
- Jinlong Du (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2776-0950)
- Xianxin Wu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0004-3916-7120)
- Ruochen Shi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3756-7038)
- Jiade Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0009-0001-1567-3393)
- Jinsheng Wen (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5864-1466)
- Xiaowen Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5107-2280)
- Xiaomei Li (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4118-2715)
- Bo Han (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8472-3294)
- Peng Gao (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0860-5525)
- Xiaoyue Gao
- Congcong Le
- Wentao Zhang
Institutions
- Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN)
- Peking University (CN)
- Institute of Theoretical Physics (CN)
- Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures (CN)
- Institute of Physics (CN)
- National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures (CN)
- East China Normal University (CN)
- Nanjing University (CN)
- University of Science and Technology Beijing (CN)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Nature Communications
- Published
- 2026-11-06
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-026-77617-7
- Primary Topic
- Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- U.S. Department of Energy
- National Natural Science Foundation of China
- China Postdoctoral Science Foundation
- Peking University
- Basic Energy Sciences