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

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

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 non-zero 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.

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Jing Xia, Maeno Yoshiteru, Peter T. Beyersdorf, M. M. Fejer, Aharon Kapitulnik. 2006-07-20. High Resolution Polar Kerr Effect Measurements of Sr2RuO4: Evidence for Broken Time Reversal Symmetry in the Superconducting State. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.97.167002

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