Loop Currents in Two-leg Ladder Cuprates

Abstract

New phases with broken discrete Ising symmetries are uncovered in quantum materials with strong electronic correlations. The two-leg ladder cuprate \textbf{$S{r}_{14-x}C{a}_{x}C{u}_{24}{O}_{41}$} hosts a very rich phase diagram where, upon hole doping, the system exhibits a spin liquid state ending to an intriguing ordered magnetic state at larger $Ca$ content. Using polarized neutron diffraction, we report here the existence of short range magnetism in this material for two $Ca$ contents, whose origin cannot be ascribed to Cu spins. This magnetism develops exclusively within the two-leg ladders with a diffraction pattern at forbidden Bragg scattering which is the hallmark of loop current-like magnetism breaking both time-reversal and parity symmetries. Our discovery shows local discrete symmetry breaking in a one dimensional spin liquid system as theoretically predicted. It further suggests that a loop current-like phase could trigger the long range magnetic order reported at larger doping in two-leg ladder cuprates.

arXiv comment6 figures, Supplementary information included

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