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A global inversion-symmetry-broken phase inside the pseudogap region of YBa_2Cu_3O_y

Zhao, L. and Belvin, C. A. and Liang, R. and Bonn, D. A. and Hardy, W. N. and Armitage, N. P. and Hsieh, D. (2017) A global inversion-symmetry-broken phase inside the pseudogap region of YBa_2Cu_3O_y. Nature Physics, 13 (3). pp. 250-254. ISSN 1745-2473. doi:10.1038/nphys3962. https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20161014-080142438

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Abstract

The phase diagram of cuprate high-temperature superconductors features an enigmatic pseudogap region that is characterized by a partial suppression of low-energy electronic excitations. Polarized neutron diffraction Nernst effect, terahertz polarimetry and ultrasound measurements on YBa_2Cu_3O_y suggest that the pseudogap onset below a temperature T^∗ coincides with a bona fide thermodynamic phase transition that breaks time-reversal, four-fold rotation and mirror symmetries respectively. However, the full point group above and below T^∗ has not been resolved and the fate of this transition as T^∗ approaches the superconducting critical temperature T_c is poorly understood. Here we reveal the point group of YBa_2Cu_3O_y inside its pseudogap and neighbouring regions using high-sensitivity linear and second-harmonic optical anisotropy measurements. We show that spatial inversion and two-fold rotational symmetries are broken below T^∗ while mirror symmetries perpendicular to the Cu–O plane are absent at all temperatures. This transition occurs over a wide doping range and persists inside the superconducting dome, with no detectable coupling to either charge ordering or superconductivity. These results suggest that the pseudogap region coincides with an odd-parity order that does not arise from a competing Fermi surface instability and exhibits a quantum phase transition inside the superconducting dome.


Item Type:Article
Related URLs:
URLURL TypeDescription
http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/nphys3962DOIArticle
http://www.nature.com/nphys/journal/v13/n3/full/nphys3962.htmlPublisherArticle
http://rdcu.be/mQjVPublisherFree ReadCube access
https://arxiv.org/abs/1611.08603arXivDiscussion Paper
ORCID:
AuthorORCID
Hsieh, D.0000-0002-0812-955X
Alternate Title:A global inversion-symmetry-broken phase inside the pseudogap region of YBa2Cu3Oy
Additional Information:© 2016 Macmillan Publishers Limited. Received 30 June 2016; accepted 13 October 2016; published online 21 November 2016. We thank D. N. Basov, P. Bourges, B. Keimer, S. A. Kivelson, P. A. Lee, J. W. Lynn, J. Orenstein, S. Raghu, B. Ramshaw, C. Varma and N.-C. Yeh for valuable discussions. This work was supported by ARO Grant W911NF-13-1-0059. Instrumentation for the RA measurements was partially supported by ARO DURIP Award W911NF-13-1-0293. D.H. acknowledges funding provided by the Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, an NSF Physics Frontiers Center (PHY-1125565) with support of the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation through Grant GBMF1250. N.P.A. acknowledges support from ARO Grant W911NF-15-1-0560. Work at the University of British Columbia was supported by the Canadian Institute for Advanced Research and the Natural Science and Engineering Research Council. Data availability. The data that support the plots within this paper and other findings of this study are available from the corresponding author on request. Author Contributions: L.Z., D.H. and N.P.A. planned the experiment. L.Z. and C.A.B. performed the RA measurements and N.P.A. determined the crystal alignment. L.Z., D.H. and N.P.A. analysed the data. R.L., D.A.B. and W.N.H. prepared and characterized the samples. L.Z. and D.H. wrote the manuscript. The authors declare no competing financial interests.
Group:Institute for Quantum Information and Matter
Funders:
Funding AgencyGrant Number
Army Research Office (ARO)W911NF-13-1-0059
Army Research Office (ARO)W911NF-13-1-0293
Institute for Quantum Information and Matter (IQIM)UNSPECIFIED
NSFPHY-1125565
Gordon and Betty Moore FoundationGBMF1250
Army Research Office (ARO)W911NF-15-1-0560
Canadian Institute for Advanced Research (CIFAR)UNSPECIFIED
Natural Sciences and Engineering Research Council of Canada (NSERC)UNSPECIFIED
Issue or Number:3
DOI:10.1038/nphys3962
Record Number:CaltechAUTHORS:20161014-080142438
Persistent URL:https://resolver.caltech.edu/CaltechAUTHORS:20161014-080142438
Official Citation:A global inversion-symmetry-broken phase inside the pseudogap region of YBa2Cu3Oy L. Zhao, C. A. Belvin, R. Liang, D. A. Bonn, W. N. Hardy, N. P. Armitage & D. Hsieh Nature Physics 13, 250–254 (2017) doi:10.1038/nphys3962
Usage Policy:No commercial reproduction, distribution, display or performance rights in this work are provided.
ID Code:71082
Collection:CaltechAUTHORS
Deposited By: Joy Painter
Deposited On:21 Nov 2016 22:54
Last Modified:11 Nov 2021 04:39

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