Stripe correlations of spins and holes and phonon heat transport in doped La2CuO4

We present experimental evidence for a dramatic suppression of the phononic thermal conductivity of rare-earth–and Sr–doped La2CuO4. Remarkably, this suppression correlates with the occurrence of superconductivity. Conventional models for the phonon heat transport fail to explain these results. In contrast, a straightforward explanation is possible in terms of static and dynamic stripe correlations of holes and spins.