Time-reversal symmetry breaking in charge density wave of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ detected by polar Kerr effect

Yajian Hu; Soichiro Yamane; Giordano Mattoni; Kanae Yada; Keito Obata; Yongkai Li; Yugui Yao; Zhiwei Wang; Jingyuan Wang; Camron Farhang; Jing Xia; Yoshiteru Maeno; Shingo Yonezawa

arXiv · 2208.08036

Time-reversal symmetry breaking in charge density wave of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ detected by polar Kerr effect

Yajian Hu·Soichiro Yamane·Giordano Mattoni·Kanae Yada·Keito Obata·Yongkai Li·Yugui Yao·Zhiwei Wang·Jingyuan Wang·Camron Farhang·Jing Xia·Yoshiteru Maeno·Shingo Yonezawa

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Abstract

The Kagome lattice exhibits rich quantum phenomena owing to its unique geometric properties. Appealing realizations are the Kagome metals AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs), where unconventional charge density wave (CDW) is intertwined with superconductivity and non-trivial band topology. Several experiments suggest that this CDW is a rare occurrence of chiral CDW characterized by orbital loop current. However, key evidences of loop current, spontaneous time-reversal symmetry-breaking (TRSB) and the coupling of its order parameter with the magnetic field remain elusive. Here, we investigate the CDW in CsV3Sb5 by magneto-optic polar Kerr effect with sub-microradian resolution. Under magnetic field, we observed a jump of the Kerr angle at the CDW transition. This jump is magnetic-field switchable and scales with field, indicating magneto--chirality coupling related to non-trivial band topology. At zero field, we found non-zero and field-trainable Kerr angle below CDW transition temperature, signaling spontaneous TRSB. Our results provide a crucial step to unveil quantum phenomena in correlated Kagome materials.

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Yajian Hu, Soichiro Yamane, Giordano Mattoni, Kanae Yada, Keito Obata, Yongkai Li, Yugui Yao, Zhiwei Wang, Jingyuan Wang, Camron Farhang, Jing Xia, Yoshiteru Maeno, Shingo Yonezawa. 2022-08-17. Time-reversal symmetry breaking in charge density wave of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ detected by polar Kerr effect. https://arxiv.org/abs/2208.08036

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