Coexistence of Charge-Order and Superconductivity in Organic Conductors

• Applicant: Professor Dr. Martin Dressel
• Subject Area: Experimental Condensed Matter Physics
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 197063068

Charge order is an insulating ground state due to electronic correlations with basically no charge transport; on the other hand, theory has predicted and experiment has confirmed that charge-order fluctuations can be closely linked to superconductivity. This might be seen in analogy to superconductivity mediated by spin fluctuations.When the charge-ordered state is next to superconductivity in the phase diagram (as a function of doping or pressure), it is not clear whether both ground states exclude each other or whether there is a range of coexistence. In the present project we want to investigate two-dimensional organic conductors by vibrational spectroscopy combined with in-situ resistivity measurements, in order to elucidate if in the phase diagram there is a range of coexistence of superconductivity and charge order. Spatially resolved spectroscopic investigations shall give information on possible electronic phase separation, inhomogeneities, and domains.

• DFG Programme: Research Grants