Key points are not available for this paper at this time.
Understanding the interplay between charge, nematic, and structural ordering tendencies in cuprate superconductors is critical to unraveling their complex phase diagram. Using pump-probe time-resolved resonant X-ray scattering on the (0 0 1) Bragg peak at the Cu Formula: see text and O Formula: see text resonances, we investigate nonequilibrium dynamics of Formula: see text nematic order and its association with both charge density wave (CDW) order and lattice dynamics in LaFormula: see textEuFormula: see textSrFormula: see textCuOFormula: see text. The orbital selectivity of the resonant X-ray scattering cross-section allows nematicity dynamics associated with the planar O 2Formula: see text and Cu 3Formula: see text states to be distinguished from the response of anisotropic lattice distortions. A direct time-domain comparison of CDW translational-symmetry breaking and nematic rotational-symmetry breaking reveals that these broken symmetries remain closely linked in the photoexcited state, consistent with the stability of CDW topological defects in the investigated pump fluence regime.
Bluschke et al. (Fri,) studied this question.