High Resolution Polar Kerr Effect Measurements of Sr2RuO4: Evidence for Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry in the Superconducting State

Jing Xia; Yoshiteru Maeno; Peter T. Beyersdorf; M. M. Fejer; Aharon Kapitulnik

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.167002

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High Resolution Polar Kerr Effect Measurements of Sr2RuO4: Evidence for Broken Time-Reversal Symmetry in the Superconducting State

Jing Xia, Yoshiteru Maeno, Peter T. Beyersdorf, M. M. Fejer, Aharon Kapitulnik

DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.97.167002 · Physical Review Letters

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Abstract

The polar Kerr effect in the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 was measured with high precision using a Sagnac interferometer with a zero-area Sagnac loop. We observed nonzero Kerr rotations as big as 65 nanorad appearing below Tc in large domains. Our results imply a broken time-reversal symmetry state in the superconducting state of Sr2RuO4, similar to He3−A.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

Formula	Reported Tc (K)	Pressure (GPa)	Type
Sr2RuO4 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	1.5	Pressure not reported	onset
Sr2RuO4 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	1.44	Pressure not reported	midpoint
Sr2RuO4 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula.	1.44	Pressure not reported	unknown