Negative Oxygen Isotope Effect on the Static Spin Stripe Order in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO₄ (x = 1/8)

Large negative oxygen-isotope (16O/18O) effects (OIE's) on the static spin-stripe ordering temperature T_so and the magnetic volume fraction V_m were observed in La_(2-x)Ba_xCuO_4 (x = 1/8) by means of muon spin rotation experiments. The corresponding OIE exponents were found to be alpha_(T_so) = -0.57(6) and alpha_(V_m) = -0.71(9), which are sign reversed to alpha_(T_c) = 0.46(6) measured for the superconducting transition temperature T_c. This indicates that the electron-lattice interaction is involved in the stripe formation and plays an important role in the competition between bulk superconductivity and static stripe order in the cuprates.