Anisotropy of Electronic Spin Texture in the High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ

Seeking new order parameters and the related broken symmetry and studying their relationship with phase transition have been important topics in condensed matter physics. Here, by using spin- and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy, we confirm the helical spin texture caused by spin-layer locking in the nodal region in the cuprate superconductor Bi 2 Sr 2 CaCu 2 O 8+ δ and discover the anisotropy of spin polarizations at nodes along Γ – X and Γ – Y directions. The breaking of C 4 rotational symmetry in electronic spin texture may give deeper insights into understanding the ground state of cuprate superconductors.