Time-reversal symmetry breaking? (reply)

Circular dichroism in the angle-resolved photoemission spectrum of the high-temperature Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+delta} superconductor: can these measurements be interpreted as evidence for time-reversal symmetry breaking?

We report first-principles computations of the angle-resolved photoemission response with circularly polarized light in Bi_{2}Sr_{2}CaCu_{2}O_{8+delta} for the purpose of delineating contributions to the circular dichroism resulting from distortions and modulations of the crystal lattice. Comparison with available experimental results shows that the measured circular dichroism from antinodal mirror planes is reproduced in quantitative detail in calculations employing the average orthorhombic crystal structure. We thus conclude that the existing angle-resolved photoemission measurements can be understood essentially within the framework of the conventional picture, without the need to invoke unconventional mechanisms.

Screening of point charge impurities in highly anisotropic metals: application to mu+-spin relaxation in underdoped cuprate superconductors

We calculate the screening charge density distribution due to a point charge, such as that of a positive muon (mu+), placed between the planes of a highly anisotropic layered metal. In underdoped hole cuprates the screening charge converts the charge density in the metallic-plane unit cells in the vicinity of the mu+ to nearly its value in the insulating state. The current-loop-ordered state observed by polarized neutron diffraction then vanishes in such cells, and also in nearby cells over a distance of order the intrinsic correlation length of the loop-ordered state. This strongly suppresses the magnetic field at the mu+ site. We estimate this suppressed field in underdoped YBa2Cu3O6+x and La2-xSrxCuO4, and find consistency with the observed approximately 0.2 G field in the former case and the observed upper bound of approximately 0.2 G in the latter case. This resolves the controversy between the neutron diffraction and mu-spin relaxation experiments.

Magnetic order in the pseudogap phase of high-Tc superconductors

One of the leading issues in high-T(c) superconductors is the origin of the pseudogap phase in underdoped cuprates. Using polarized elastic neutron diffraction, we identify a novel magnetic order in the YB(2)Cu(3)O(6+) system. The observed magnetic order preserves translational symmetry of the lattice as proposed for orbital moments in the circulating current theory of the pseudogap state. To date, it is the first direct evidence of a hidden order parameter characterizing the pseudogap phase in high-T(c) cuprates.