Physics Research Conference

Electronic nematic phases in high temperature superconductors

Ian Fisher, Stanford University,

Borrowing language from the field of soft condensed matter, electronic nematic phases in crystalline systems break a discrete rotational symmetry of the crystal lattice without further breaking translational symmetry. In this talk I'll outline methods to measure an associated quantity, the nematic susceptibility, which diverges towards a nematic phase transition. These measurements directly reveal the presence of an electronic nematic phase transition in a family of high temperature superconductors, and an associated quantum phase transition at optimal doping.

Event Sponsors:

Division of Physics, Mathematics and Astronomy - More events from this Sponsor

For more information, please contact Sheri Stoll by phone at 395-6608 or by email at [email protected] or visit http://www.pma.caltech.edu/~physcoll/PhysColl.html.