{
  "abstract": "Side surfaces of cuprate superconductors are expected to display a suppressed d -wave order parameter and zero-energy topological flat bands with a large density of states, making them susceptible to symmetry broken orders. Yet such surfaces have never been investigated with momentum-resolved, surface-sensitive probes, because high-temperature superconductors rarely cleave along them. Using focused-ion-beam milling to define a controlled breaking point, we expose pristine (110) side surfaces of overdoped La 2− x Sr x CuO ₄ ( x = 0.22) suitable for angle-resolved photoemission. We do not resolve an opening or closing of a superconducting spectral gap within our energy resolution ( ~ 4 meV), in agreement with theoretical predictions. Surprisingly, the expected zero-energy flat band peak is also suppressed, despite the high topographic quality of the surface. Self-consistent Bogoliubov–de Gennes calculations show that the measured geometric roughness of the cleaved surface is too weak to eliminate these modes. The calculations further demonstrate that bulk inhomogeneities characteristic of high-temperature superconductors, modelled as moderate Anderson-type disorder, can broaden the flat-band states beyond detectability. Our results provide the first momentum-resolved view of the electronic structure on a cuprate side surface and identify disorder as a plausible mechanism obscuring the spectroscopic signatures of the predicted flat-band states.",
  "abstract_shown": true,
  "affiliations": [],
  "article_type": null,
  "arxiv": null,
  "author_total": 30,
  "authors": [
    {
      "name": "Gabriele Domaine"
    },
    {
      "name": "Mihir Date",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-9778-6104"
    },
    {
      "name": "Sydney K. Y. Dufresne"
    },
    {
      "name": "Natalie Lehmann"
    },
    {
      "name": "Daiyu Geng",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-8564-7465"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tohru Kurosawa"
    },
    {
      "name": "Amit Kumar"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jiaju Wang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Tianlun Yu"
    },
    {
      "name": "Chien-Ching Chang"
    },
    {
      "name": "Swosti P. Sarangi"
    },
    {
      "name": "Ding Pei"
    },
    {
      "name": "Yiran Liu",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-7266-5437"
    },
    {
      "name": "Julia Küspert",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-2905-9992"
    },
    {
      "name": "Shigemi Terakawa",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-5790-7234"
    },
    {
      "name": "Markel Pardo Almanza",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0119-5407"
    },
    {
      "name": "Jiabao Yang",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-0537-0150"
    },
    {
      "name": "Izabela Biało",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-3431-6102"
    },
    {
      "name": "Matthew D. Watson",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-0737-2814"
    },
    {
      "name": "Timur K. Kim",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4201-4462"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stephen M. Hayden",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-3209-027X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Kritika Singh"
    },
    {
      "name": "Banabir Pal",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-2423-4373"
    },
    {
      "name": "Matteo Minola",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4084-0664"
    },
    {
      "name": "Johan Chang",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-4655-1516"
    },
    {
      "name": "Naoki Momono"
    },
    {
      "name": "Migaku Oda"
    },
    {
      "name": "Stuart S. P. Parkin",
      "orcid": "0000-0003-4702-6139"
    },
    {
      "name": "Andreas P. Schnyder",
      "orcid": "0000-0002-1029-815X"
    },
    {
      "name": "Niels B. M. Schröter",
      "orcid": "0000-0001-6159-4576"
    }
  ],
  "bibtex": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/edhss987rkm89.bib",
  "cited_by": 0,
  "doi": "10.1038/s41467-026-78020-y",
  "fulltext_url": null,
  "id": "edhss987rkm89",
  "issns": [
    "2041-1723"
  ],
  "landing_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78020-y",
  "language": null,
  "licence": "CC-BY-4.0",
  "licence_label": "CC BY 4.0",
  "licence_source": "article",
  "licence_url": "https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0",
  "metadata_licence": null,
  "native_subjects": [
    [
      "openalex",
      "3104|Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism"
    ]
  ],
  "openalex": "W7133493690",
  "pdf_url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78020-y.pdf",
  "pmcid": null,
  "pmid": null,
  "published": "2026-10-07",
  "publisher": "Springer Science and Business Media LLC",
  "ris": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/edhss987rkm89.ris",
  "sources": [
    {
      "first_seen": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
      "native_id": "10.1038/s41467-026-78020-y",
      "source": "crossref",
      "url": "https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-78020-y"
    }
  ],
  "subjects": [
    {
      "field": "physics",
      "origin": "openalex:3104|Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism",
      "subfield": "condensed-matter"
    }
  ],
  "title": "Suppression of spectral gap and flat bands on a cuprate superconductor side-surface",
  "title_text": "Suppression of spectral gap and flat bands on a cuprate superconductor side-surface",
  "type": "peer-reviewed",
  "updated_at": "2026-10-30T12:17:38Z",
  "url": "https://research.draconitic.com/paper/edhss987rkm89",
  "venue": "Nature Communications",
  "versions": []
}