Competition between charge-density waves and superconductivity in striped systems

Switching on interchain coupling in a system of one-dimensional strongly interacting chains often leads to an ordered state. Quite generally, there is a competition between an insulating charge-density wave and a superconducting state. In the case of repulsive interactions, a charge-density wave usually wins over superconductivity. Here, we show that a suitable modulation in the form of a period 4 bond-centered stripe can reverse this balance even in the repulsive case and produce a superconducting state with relatively high temperature.