Charge segregation and antiferromagnetism in high-Tc superconductors

Abstract Local antiferromagnetism coexists with superconductivity in the cuprates. Charge segregation provides a way to reconcile these properties. Direct evidence for modulated spin and charge densities has been found in neutron and X-ray scattering studies of Nd-doped La2−xSrxCuO4. Here we discuss the nature of the modulation, and present some new results for a Zn-doped sample. Some of the open questions concerning the connections between segregation and superconductivity are described.