Pressure-induced superconducting-insulating phase transition in copper oxide superconductors
According to the band theory of solid-state physics,the electrical conductivity of solids is determined by their band structure.For insulators or semiconductors with an energy gap,the pressure-induced broadening of the bands can close the energy gap and lead the system to transfer into a normal metallic or superconducting ground state.This type of insulator-metal phase transition is known as the Wilson phase transition.However,a pressure-induced transition from the metallic or superconducting phase to the insulating phase is beyond the predictability of the classic theory.In this study,we primarily introduced the recent discovery of the pressure-induced,superconducting-insulating quantum phase transition(QPT)in hole-doped bismuth-based copper oxide high-temperature superconductors(HTSCs),and discussed and analyzed the universality of the QPT.This finding offers a new paradigm for generating exotic quantum states under pressure in strongly correlated electron systems,demonstrating the intrinsic connections between superconductivity and adjacent quantum states.Moreover,it provides new experimental evidence for a deeper understanding of the relationship between the superconducting state and other quantum states in strongly correlated electron systems.Furthermore,we analyzed the universality of this superconducting-insulating QPT and proposed some important issues for future research,aiming to provide useful information for further elucidating the underlying mechanism of HTSC.