Imaging the effect of electron lattice interactions on high-Tc superconductivity in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ

One of key challenges in high-T-c superconductivity research is to identify a predominant mechanism controlling superconductivity at atomic scale. Using the spectroscopic imaging scanning tunnelling microscopy technique[1] we find a similar to 9 +/- 1% sinusoidal variation in local energy gap Delta triggered by the crystal "supermodulation" revealing a strong non-random out-of-plane effect on superconductivity [2], substitutional isotope effect on the d(2)I/dV(2) spectrum reveals 6% reduction of mode energy (Omega) over bar indicating the involvement of the lattice vibrations that couple strongly to the quasiparticle states of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta [3]. We also find that the heterogeneous electronic states coupling to the lattice only occur above a certain energy which separates the spatially homogeneous and heterogeneous excitations[4].