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PACS numbers: 74.40.Gh, 61.05.cp, 75.25.Dk, 78.47.J−
Abstract:
We use femtosecond resonant soft x-ray diffraction to measure the optically stimulated ultrafast changes of charge-density wave correlations in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.6. We find that when coherent interlayer transport is enhanced by optical excitation of the apical oxygen distortions, at least 50% of the in-plane charge-density wave order is melted. These results indicate that charge ordering and superconductivity may be competing up to the charge ordering transition temperature, with the latter becoming a hidden phase that is accessible only by nonlinear phonon excitation.
