Eight-unit-cell electronic modulations in cuprates originating from local molecular orbitals
Abstract
The pair density wave (PDW) state with eight-unit-cell (8a0) periodicity has been widely regarded as the primary order in cuprates, yet its existence and origin remain subjects of intense debate. Using spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe spatial modulations of the electronic states with approximately 8a0 periodicity in both the superconducting and insulating regimes of hole-doped Ca2CuO2Cl2 cuprate. We find that the 8a0 spatial patterns are generated by the formation of molecular orbitals by doped holes, which organize into 4a0*4a0 plaquettes as the basic unit. Our results identify the 4a0 molecular orbital as the fundamental electronic building block in cuprates, while the 8a0 PDW represents a spatial subharmonic that emerges at sufficiently high doping.
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BibTeX
@misc{yao2026eightunitcell,
title = {{Eight-unit-cell electronic modulations in cuprates originating from local molecular orbitals}},
author = {Zhiheng Yao and Sixuan Chen and Jianfa Zhao and Shusen Ye and Weixiang Qu and Ning Xia and Yuling Dai and Luchuan Shi and Hongrui Zhang and Zhenqi Hao and Changqing Jin and Shuo Yang and Yayu Wang},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = sep,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2609.09615},
eprint = {2609.09615},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09615},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Eight-unit-cell electronic modulations in cuprates originating from local molecular orbitals
AU - Zhiheng Yao
AU - Sixuan Chen
AU - Jianfa Zhao
AU - Shusen Ye
AU - Weixiang Qu
AU - Ning Xia
AU - Yuling Dai
AU - Luchuan Shi
AU - Hongrui Zhang
AU - Zhenqi Hao
AU - Changqing Jin
AU - Shuo Yang
AU - Yayu Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/09/09
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2609.09615
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2609.09615
AB - The pair density wave (PDW) state with eight-unit-cell (8a0) periodicity has been widely regarded as the primary order in cuprates, yet its existence and origin remain subjects of intense debate. Using spectroscopic imaging scanning tunneling microscopy, we observe spatial modulations of the electronic states with approximately 8a0 periodicity in both the superconducting and insulating regimes of hole-doped Ca2CuO2Cl2 cuprate. We find that the 8a0 spatial patterns are generated by the formation of molecular orbitals by doped holes, which organize into 4a0*4a0 plaquettes as the basic unit. Our results identify the 4a0 molecular orbital as the fundamental electronic building block in cuprates, while the 8a0 PDW represents a spatial subharmonic that emerges at sufficiently high doping.
ER -