Strain-mediated Mott transition in Ca<sub>2</sub>RuO<sub>4</sub> induced by a dc current

ORAL

Abstract

In a Mott insulator, the delicate balance among several competing energy scales gives rise to a plethora of ground states, which may be tuned into one another by pressure, electric field, photoexcitation among other perturbations. Owing to many degrees of freedom present in the system, understanding Mott transitions remains difficult. Recently, Ca2RuO4 has emerged as a new platform for studying the insulator-to-metal Mott transition. A dramatic change in its structural and optical properties across the phase boundary allows a multimodal approach to investigate the transition in space and time. Here, we report in situ transport, optical, and X-ray microscopy measurements on current-induced Mott transition in Ca2RuO4. We find that lattice strain plays a central role in this spatially-inhomogeneous transition, whose temporal evolution is characterized by local fluctuations in temperature. The present work clarifies important aspects of the current-induced Mott transition and provides insights into future applications that harness such electromagnetic control.

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Presenters

  • Alfred Zong

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Physics, MIT

Authors

  • Alfred Zong

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Physics, MIT

  • Anshul Kogar

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

  • Hengdi Zhao

    • University of Colorado, Boulder
    • Physics Department, University of Colorado Boulder

  • Qian Li

    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • Yifan Su

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT

  • Samuel D Marks

    • Argonne National Laboratory and University of Wisconsin-Madison

  • Gang Cao

    • University of Colorado, Boulder
    • Department of Physics, University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Physics Department, University of Colorado Boulder
    • Physics, University of Colorado, Boulder
    • University of Colorado at Boulder
    • Physics, University of Colorado Boulder

  • Haidan Wen

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL, USA
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Nuh Gedik

    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology MIT
    • Massachusetts Institute of Technology
    • Physics, MIT