Polar Kerr Effect from Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor PrOs4Sb12

Levenson-Falk, Eli M.; Schemm, E. R.; Aoki, Y.; Maple, M. B.; Kapitulnik, Aharon

doi:10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.187004

Title: Polar Kerr Effect from Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in the Heavy-Fermion Superconductor ${PrOs}_{4} {Sb}_{12}$

Journal Article · 04 May 2018 · Physical Review Letters

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.187004 · OSTI ID:1433168

Levenson-Falk, Eli M. ^[1]; Schemm, E. R. ^[2]; Aoki, Y. ^[3]; Maple, M. B. ^[4]; Kapitulnik, Aharon ^[5]

Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); Univ. of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA (United States)
Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States)
Tokyo Metropolitan Univ., Tokyo (Japan)
Univ. of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA (United States)
Stanford Univ., Stanford, CA (United States); SLAC National Accelerator Lab., Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Here, we present polar Kerr effect measurements of the filled skutterudite superconductor PrOs₄Sb₁₂. Simultaneous ac susceptibility measurements allow us to observe the superconducting transition under the influence of heating from the optical beam. A nonzero Kerr angle θ_K develops below the superconducting transition, saturating at ~300 nrad at low temperatures. This result is repeated across several measurements of multiple samples. By extrapolating the measured θ_K(T) to zero optical power, we are able to show that the Kerr angle onset temperature in one set of measurements is consistent with the transition to the B phase at T_C2. We discuss the possible explanations for this result and its impact on the understanding of multiphase and inhomogeneous superconductivity in PrOs₄Sb₁₂.

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Research Organization:: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory (SLAC), Menlo Park, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE Office of Science (SC)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC02-76SF00515; FG02-04ER46105

OSTI ID:: 1433168

Alternate ID(s):: OSTI ID: 1436004

Journal Information:: Physical Review Letters, Vol. 120, Issue 18; ISSN 0031-9007

Publisher:: American Physical Society (APS)Copyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited by: 15 works

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