A Model for Metastable Magnetism in the Hidden-Order Phase of URu2Si2

Abstract

We propose an explanation for the experiment by Schemm et al., Phys. Rev. B 91, 140506 (2015) where the polar Kerr effect (PKE), indicating time-reversal symmetry (TRS) breaking, was observed in the hidden-order (HO) phase of URu2Si2. The PKE signal on warmup was seen only if a training magnetic field was present on cool-down. Using a Ginzburg-Landau model for a complex order parameter, we show that the system can have a metastable ferromagnetic state producing the PKE, even if the HO ground state respects TRS. We predict that a strong reversed magnetic field should reset the PKE to zero.

New section and Figure 3. References added

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Cited by in corpus (1)

• Hidden order and beyond: an experimental-theoretical overview of the multifaceted behavior of URu${}_2$Si${}_2$