Kerr effect as evidence of gyrotropic order in the cuprates
Kerr effect as evidence of gyrotropic order in the cuprates
The Kerr effect can arise in a time-reversal invariant dissipative medium that is ``gyrotropic,'' i.e., one that breaks inversion ($\mathcal{I}$) and all mirror symmetries. Examples of such systems include electron analogs of cholesteric liquid crystals and their descendants, such as systems with chiral charge ordering. We present arguments that the …