Strong Superexchange in a d<sup>9-δ</sup> Nickelate Revealed by Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

ORAL

Abstract

The discovery of superconductivity in a d9-δ nickelate has inspired disparate theoretical perspectives regarding the essential physics of this class of materials. A key issue is the magnitude of the magnetic superexchange, which relates to whether cuprate-like high-temperature nickelate superconductivity could be realized. We address this question using Ni L-edge and O K-edge spectroscopy of the reduced trilayer nickelate d9-1/3 La4Ni3O8 and associated theoretical modeling. A magnon energy scale of ~80 meV resulting from a nearest-neighbor magnetic exchange of J=69(4) meV is observed, proving that d9-δ nickelates can host a large superexchange. This value, along with that of the Ni-O hybridization estimated from our O K-edge data, implies that trilayer nickelates represent an intermediate case between the infinite-layer nickelates and the cuprates, and suggests that they represent a promising route towards higher-temperature nickelate superconductivity.

*Work at Brookhaven and Argonne National Laboratory was supported by the U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences.

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Presenters

  • Mark Dean

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory

Authors

  • Mark Dean

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Pablo Villar Arribi

    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • Gilberto F L Fabbris

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

  • Antia Botana

    • Arizona State University
    • Physics, Arizona State University
    • Department of Physics, Arizona State University
    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • Derek J Meyers

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Hu Miao

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, USA
    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Materials Science and Technology Division, Oak Ridge National Laboratory

  • Yao Shen

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Daniel Mazzone

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Jiatai Feng

    • Sorbonne Université

  • Sorin Gheorghe Chiuzbaian

    • Sorbonne Université

  • Abhishek Nag

    • Diamond Light Source
    • Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus

  • Andrew Walters

    • Diamond Light Source
    • Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Mirian Garcia-Fernnandez

    • Diamond Light Source
    • Diamond Light Source, UK
    • Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus

  • Ke-jin Zhou

    • Diamond Light Source
    • Diamond Light Source, UK
    • Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science & Innovation Campus

  • Jonathan Pelliciari

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • Ignace Jarrige

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • John Freeland

    • argonne national laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Advanced Photon Source
    • Advanced Photon Source, Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, Illinois 60439, USA

  • Junjie Zhang

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Shandong University

  • John Mitchell

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory

  • Valentina Bisogni

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • National Synchrotron Light Source II, Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • NSLS-II, Brookhaven National Laboratory

  • xuerong Liu

    • ShanghaiTech University

  • Michael Ray Norman

    • Materials Science Division, Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory

  • Jiaqi Lin

    • Brookhaven National Laboratory
    • ShanghaiTech University