Intertwined nematic and d-wave superconductive orders in optimally doped La1.84Sr0.16CuO4 thin films.

The anisotropy of the superconducting state and superconducting fluctuations in the CuO2 plane is directly related to the superconducting mechanism of copper oxide superconductors and is therefore pivotal for understanding high-temperature superconductivity. Here, we integrated the high-precision angle-resolved resistivity measurement with a rotatable in-plane magnetic field to systematically study the angular dependence of superconducting fluctuations in optimally doped La1.84Sr0.16CuO4 (LSCO) thin films. By independently controlling the directions of the current and the magnetic field, we are able to isolate the magneto-resistivity contributed by the superconducting vortex motion and distinguish excitations from nematic superconductivity and d-wave superconductive order based on their respective C 2 and C 4 symmetries. Signatures of two intertwined superconductive orders are also evident in the measured angular dependence of the critical current. A T-B phase diagram of different types of superconducting fluctuations is determined. These findings are closely related to other intriguing phenomena, such as pair density wave, charge density wave, and local pairing.