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Spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in the pseudogap state of a high-Tc superconductor

Author

Listed:
  • A. Kaminski

    (University of Illinois at Chicago
    Argonne National Laboratory)

  • S. Rosenkranz

    (University of Illinois at Chicago
    Argonne National Laboratory)

  • H. M. Fretwell

    (University of Wales Swansea)

  • J. C. Campuzano

    (University of Illinois at Chicago
    Argonne National Laboratory)

  • Z. Li

    (Université Paris-Sud)

  • H. Raffy

    (Université Paris-Sud)

  • W. G. Cullen

    (Argonne National Laboratory)

  • H. You

    (Argonne National Laboratory)

  • C. G. Olson

    (Iowa State University)

  • C. M. Varma

    (Lucent Technologies)

  • H. Höchst

    (Synchrotron Radiation Center)

Abstract

A change in ‘symmetry’ is often observed when matter undergoes a phase transition—the symmetry is said to be spontaneously broken. The transition made by underdoped high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) superconductors is unusual, in that it is not a mean-field transition as seen in other superconductors. Rather, there is a region in the phase diagram above the superconducting transition temperature Tc (where phase coherence and superconductivity begin) but below a characteristic temperature T* where a ‘pseudogap’ appears in the spectrum of electronic excitations1,2. It is therefore important to establish if T* is just a cross-over temperature arising from fluctuations in the order parameter that will establish superconductivity at Tc (refs 3, 4), or if it marks a phase transition where symmetry is spontaneously broken5,6,7,8,9,10. Here we report that, for a material in the pseudogap state, left-circularly polarized photons give a different photocurrent from right-circularly polarized photons. This shows that time-reversal symmetry is spontaneously broken11 below T*, which therefore corresponds to a phase transition.

Suggested Citation

  • A. Kaminski & S. Rosenkranz & H. M. Fretwell & J. C. Campuzano & Z. Li & H. Raffy & W. G. Cullen & H. You & C. G. Olson & C. M. Varma & H. Höchst, 2002. "Spontaneous breaking of time-reversal symmetry in the pseudogap state of a high-Tc superconductor," Nature, Nature, vol. 416(6881), pages 610-613, April.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:416:y:2002:i:6881:d:10.1038_416610a
    DOI: 10.1038/416610a
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    Cited by:

    1. Onbaşlı, Ülker & Özdemir, Zeynep Güven & Aslan, Özden, 2009. "Symmetry breakings and topological solitons in mercury based d-wave superconductors," Chaos, Solitons & Fractals, Elsevier, vol. 42(4), pages 1980-1989.

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