Unraveling how electronic and spin structures control macroscopic properties of manganite ultra-thin films
Source abstract
Abstract
Perovskite manganites exhibit fascinating transport and magnetic properties, essential for fundamental research and applications. With the development of thin film technologies, more exotic properties have been observed in doped-manganites over a wide range of temperature. Unraveling the interplay of spin, charge and orbital degrees of freedom that drives exotic, macroscopic properties is therefore crucial for the understanding of strongly correlated electron systems. Here, using a combination of transport, spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray absorption spectroscopy and X-ray magnetic circular dichroism, we observe two concomitant electronic and magnetic phases (insulating paramagnetic phase for T>195 K and insulating canted-ferromagnetic for T<140 K) with an intermediate metal-like state in ultra-thin La0.7Sr0.3MnO3 (LSMO) film on DyScO3 substrate. Surprisingly, the O2p-Mn3d hybridization strength reduces with decreasing temperature, driving the system more insulating and ferromagnetic. The Jahn–Teller effect weakens markedly within the intermediate temperature range, making the system more metal-like. We also apply this comprehensive method to a LSMO film on SrTiO3 substrate for comparison. Our study reveals that the interplay of the O2p-Mn3d hybridization and the dynamic Jahn–Teller splitting controls the macroscopic transport and magnetic properties in ultra-thin manganites. The interplay between hybridization, orbital occupancy and spin governs the transport and magnetic properties of ultrathin manganites. This finding was made by scientists in Singapore, China and Indonesia based on a new analysis of a doped manganite ultrathin film. Thin films of doped perovskite manganites exhibit exotic properties, but it is unclear what roles the spin, charge and orbital degrees of freedom of these strongly correlated electron systems play in generating such properties. Andrivo Rusydi, Junling Wang and collaborators observed an insulating, ferromagnetic phase below 140 kelvin, an insulating, paramagnetic phase above 195 kelvin, and a metal-like state at intermediate temperatures in their film. They found that the O2p–Mn3d hybridization strength drops with temperature, making the system more insulating and ferromagnetic, whereas the Jahn-Teller effect decreases dramatically in the intermediate temperature range, making the system more metal-like. The interplay between hybridization, orbital occupancy and spin that governs the macroscopic transport and magnetic properties of ultra-thin manganites is revealed using a combination of spectroscopic ellipsometry, X-ray absorption, X-ray magnetic circular dichroism and transport measurements.
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Research context
OpenAlex topics: Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials · Advanced Condensed Matter Physics · Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides
SciVX discovery tags are terminology-based. OpenAlex topics are source-provided classifications.
References (43)
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