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arXiv · 1506.00041

First-order melting of a weak spin-orbit Mott insulator into a correlated metal

Tom Hogan·Z. Yamani·D. Walkup·Xiang Chen·Rebecca Dally·Thomas Z. Ward·John Hill·Z. Islam·Vidya Madhavan·Stephen D. Wilson
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Abstract

The electronic phase diagram of the weak spin-orbit Mott insulator (Sr(1-x)Lax)3Ir2O7 is determined via an exhaustive experimental study. Upon doping electrons via La substitution, an immediate collapse in resistivity occurs along with a narrow regime of nanoscale phase separation comprised of antiferromagnetic, insulating regions and paramagnetic, metallic puddles persisting until x~0.04. Continued electron doping results in an abrupt, first-order phase boundary where the Neel state is suppressed and a homogenous, correlated, metallic state appears with an enhanced spin susceptibility and local moments. As the metallic state is stabilized, a weak structural distortion develops and suggests a competing instability with the parent spin-orbit Mott state.

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Tom Hogan, Z. Yamani, D. Walkup, Xiang Chen, Rebecca Dally, Thomas Z. Ward, John Hill, Z. Islam, Vidya Madhavan, Stephen D. Wilson. 2015-05-29. First-order melting of a weak spin-orbit Mott insulator into a correlated metal. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.114.257203

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