Polar Kerr effect from a time-reversal symmetry breaking unidirectional charge density wave

We analyze the Hall conductivity [sigma] sub(xy) ( omega ) of a charge ordered state with momentum Q = (0, 2Q) and calculate the intrinsic contribution to the Kerr angle [Theta]K using the fully reconstructed tight-binding band structure for layered cuprates beyond the low energy hot spot model and...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2015-02, Vol.91 (6), Article 060512
Main Authors: Gradhand, M., Eremin, I., Knolle, J.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Band structure of solids
Broken symmetry
CHARGE DENSITY
Charge density waves
Condensed matter
COPPER OXIDE
Cuprates
Damping
DAMPING PROPERTIES
ELECTRICAL CONDUCTIVITY
JOINTS
Kerr effects
Symmetry
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Summary:We analyze the Hall conductivity [sigma] sub(xy) ( omega ) of a charge ordered state with momentum Q = (0, 2Q) and calculate the intrinsic contribution to the Kerr angle [Theta]K using the fully reconstructed tight-binding band structure for layered cuprates beyond the low energy hot spot model and particle-hole symmetry. We show that such a unidirectional charge density wave (CDW), which breaks time-reversal symmetry, as recently put forward by Wang and Chubukov [Phys. Rev. B 90. 035149 (2014) (http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.035149)], leads to a nonzero polar Kerr effect, as observed experimentally. In addition, we model a fluctuating CDW via a large quasiparticle damping of the order of the CDW gap and discuss possible implications for the pseudogap phase. We can qualitatively reproduce previous measurements of underdoped cuprates, but making quantitative connections to experiments is hampered by the sensitivity of the polar Kerr effect with respect to the complex refractive index n( omega .
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.91.060512