Nernst effect, quasiparticles, and d-density waves in cuprates -: art. no. 054503

We examine the possibility that the large Nernst signal observed in the pseudogap regime of hole-doped cuprates originates from quasiparticle transport in a state with d-density wave (DDW) order, proposed by S. Chakravarty [Phys. Rev. B 63, 094503 (2001) ]. We find that the Nernst coefficient can be moderately enhanced in magnitude by DDW order, and is generally of negative sign. Thus, the quasiparticles of the DDW state cannot account for the large and positive Nernst signal observed in the pseudogap phase of the cuprates. However, the general considerations outlined in this paper may be of broader relevance, in particular to the recent measurements of Bel in NbSe2 and CeCoIn5 [ Phys. Rev. Lett. 91, 066602 (2003) ; ibid. 92, 217002 (2004) ].