Evidence for a small hole pocket in the Fermi surface of underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy

TL;DR

This study provides evidence for a second Fermi pocket in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy, revealing a more complex Fermi surface topology that supports theories of Fermi surface reconstruction due to charge-density-wave order.

Contribution

The paper reports the first detection of a second Fermi pocket in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy, indicating a more complete Fermi surface reconstruction involving both electron and hole pockets.

Findings

Discovery of a second Fermi pocket via quantum oscillations.

The second pocket is identified as a hole pocket based on thermopower data.

Fermi surface reconstruction aligns with charge-density-wave order, with possible pseudogap effects.

Abstract

The Fermi surface of a metal is the fundamental basis from which its properties can be understood. In underdoped cuprate superconductors, the Fermi surface undergoes a reconstruction that produces a small electron pocket, but whether there is another, as yet undetected portion to the Fermi surface is unknown. Establishing the complete topology of the Fermi surface is key to identifying the mechanism responsible for its reconstruction. Here we report the discovery of a second Fermi pocket in underdoped YBa2Cu3Oy, detected as a small quantum oscillation frequency in the thermoelectric response and in the c-axis resistance. The field-angle dependence of the frequency demonstrates that it is a distinct Fermi surface and the normal-state thermopower requires it to be a hole pocket. A Fermi surface consisting of one electron pocket and two hole pockets with the measured areas and masses is consistent with a Fermi-surface reconstruction caused by the charge-density-wave order observed in YBa2Cu3Oy, provided other parts of the reconstructed Fermi surface are removed by a separate mechanism, possibly the pseudogap.