# Cuprates & the Pairing Mechanism: State of the Field (October 2026)

Research dossier · v1 · updated 2026-10-30 · 4,360 words · 47 sources · 26 claims · verification: verified

Where the cuprate pairing problem stands at the end of October 2026: the doped Hubbard model as a candidate minimal description, the pseudogap, charge order and strange-metal transport, and the nickelate comparison. The main takeaway is that numerical studies of the doped Hubbard model still disagree on whether superconductivity coexists with stripe order or competes with it, while experiments have not settled whether charge order drives pairing or accompanies it.

## Contents

- Executive summary
- Background and core concepts
- Timeline of key milestones
- State of the art
  - Hubbard-model numerics (contested)
  - Charge order and its relation to pairing
  - Pseudogap and the Fermi surface
  - Strange-metal transport and theory
  - Magnetic excitations and pairing glue
  - Quantitative benchmarks
- Open problems and active debates
- Major programs and players
- Outlook: what to watch (next 12-18 months)
- Key papers
- Glossary

## Sample findings

- Cuprate superconductivity resides in CuO2 planes; the parent compounds are antiferromagnetic Mott (charge-transfer) insulators, and superconductivity appears upon hole or electron doping.
- The highest ambient-pressure Tc among cuprates is about 133 to 135 K, reached in the mercury-based three-layer compound HgBa2Ca2Cu3O8+δ.

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