STM/STS study in the stripe-ordered state of La2−x−yNdySrxCuO4 (image, y∼0.4) Original Research Article

We performed scanning tunneling microscopy/spectroscopy (STM/STS) in the stripe-ordered state of La2−x −y Ndy Srx CuO4 (View the MathML sourcex=18, y ∼0.4) at T ∼9 K (>T c) and compared the results with those of superconducting La2−x Srx CuO4 (View the MathML sourcex∼18). The STS spectrum of La2−x −y Ndy Srx CuO4 (View the MathML sourcex=18, y ∼0.4) exhibits a d -wave-like gap with broad gap-edge peaks and an asymmetrically V-shaped background. The observed gap is almost the same in magnitude and shape as that of La2−x Srx CuO4 (View the MathML sourcex∼18). This result suggests that there is a close relation between the stripe order (or correlation) and the pseudogap formation because 2Δ0 scales with the pseudogap temperature in La2−xSrxCuO4.