Spatial inhomogeneity and planar symmetry breaking of the lattice incommensurate supermodulation in the high-temperature superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+ y

Using scanning micro-x-ray diffraction we report a mixed real and reciprocal space visualization of the spatial heterogeneity of the lattice incommensurate supermodulation in a single crystal of Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+y with Tc = 84 K. The mapping shows an amplitude distribution of the supermodulation with large lattice fluctuations at a microscale with ~50% amplitude variation. The angular distribution of the supermodulation amplitude in the a-b plane shows a lattice chiral symmetry, forming a left-handed oriented striped pattern. The spatial correlation of the supermodulation is well described by a compressed exponential with an exponent of 1.5 ± 0.3 and a correlation length of ~50 ?m, showing intrinsic lattice disorder in high-temperature superconductors.