Diagonal nematicity in the pseudogap phase of HgBa2CuO4+δ

H. Murayama, Y. Sato, R. Kurihara, S. Kasahara, Y. Mizukami, Y. Kasahara, H. Uchiyama, A. Yamamoto, E.-G. Moon, J. Cai, J. Freyermuth, M. Greven, T. Shibauchi and Y. Matsuda ()
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H. Murayama: Kyoto University
Y. Sato: Kyoto University
R. Kurihara: Kyoto University
S. Kasahara: Kyoto University
Y. Mizukami: University of Tokyo
Y. Kasahara: Kyoto University
H. Uchiyama: Materials Dynamics Laboratory, RIKEN SPring-8 Center
A. Yamamoto: Graduate School of Engineering and Science, Shibaura Institute of Technology
E.-G. Moon: Korea Advanced Institute of Science and Technology
J. Cai: University of Minnesota
J. Freyermuth: University of Minnesota
M. Greven: University of Minnesota
T. Shibauchi: University of Tokyo
Y. Matsuda: Kyoto University

Nature Communications, 2019, vol. 10, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract The pseudogap phenomenon in the cuprates is arguably the most mysterious puzzle in the field of high-temperature superconductivity. The tetragonal cuprate HgBa2CuO4+δ, with only one CuO2 layer per primitive cell, is an ideal system to tackle this puzzle. Here, we measure the magnetic susceptibility anisotropy within the CuO2 plane with exceptionally high-precision magnetic torque experiments. Our key finding is that a distinct two-fold in-plane anisotropy sets in below the pseudogap temperature T*, which provides thermodynamic evidence for a nematic phase transition with broken four-fold symmetry. Surprisingly, the nematic director orients along the diagonal direction of the CuO2 square lattice, in sharp contrast to the bond nematicity along the Cu-O-Cu direction. Another remarkable feature is that the enhancement of the diagonal nematicity with decreasing temperature is suppressed around the temperature at which short-range charge-density-wave formation occurs. Our result suggests a competing relationship between diagonal nematic and charge-density-wave order in HgBa2CuO4+δ.

Date: 2019
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-11200-1

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