Stripe correlations of spins and holes and phonon heat transport in doped $\rm {La_2CuO_4}

We present experimental evidence for a dramatic suppression of the phononic thermal conductivity of rare-earth– and Sr–doped $\rm La_2CuO_4$. Remarkably, this suppression correlates with the occurrence of superconductivity. Conventional models for the phonon heat transport fail to explain these results. In contrast, a straightforward explanation is possible in terms of static and dynamic stripe correlations of holes and spins.