Antiferromagnetic ordering in superconducting YBa2Cu3O6.5

Commensurate antiferromagnetic ordering has been observed in the superconducting high-T-c. cuprate YBa2Cu3O6.5 (T-c = 55 K) by polarized and unpolarized elastic neutron scattering. The magnetic peak intensity exhibits a marked enhancement at T-c. Zero-field muon-spin-resonance experiments demonstrate that the staggered magnetization is not truly static but fluctuates on a nanosecond time scale. These results point towards an unusual spin density wave state coexisting with superconductivity.