Symmetry of the excitations in the hidden order state of URu2Si2.

Abstract

We perform polarized electronic Raman scattering on URu2Si2 single crystals at low temperature down to 8 K in the hidden-order state and under a magnetic field up to 10 T. The hidden-order state is characterized by a sharp excitation at 1.7 meV and a gap in the electronic continuum below 6.8 meV. Both Raman signatures are of pure A2g symmetry. By comparing the behavior of the Raman sharp excitation and the neutron resonance at Q0=(0,0,1), we provide new evidence, constrained by selection rules of the two probes, that the hidden-order state breaks the translational symmetry along the c axis such that Γ and Z points fold on top of each other. The observation of these distinct Raman features with a peculiar A2g symmetry as a signature of the hidden-order phase places strong constraints on current theories of the hidden-order in URu2Si2.