Pressure-Induced Confined Metal from the Mott Insulator Sr_{3}Ir_{2}O_{7}.
Phys Rev Lett
; 116(21): 216402, 2016 May 27.
Article
em En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-27284666
ABSTRACT
The spin-orbit Mott insulator Sr_{3}Ir_{2}O_{7} provides a fascinating playground to explore insulator-metal transition driven by intertwined charge, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom. Here, we report high-pressure electric resistance and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering measurements on single-crystal Sr_{3}Ir_{2}O_{7} up to 63-65 GPa at 300 K. The material becomes a confined metal at 59.5 GPa, showing metallicity in the ab plane but an insulating behavior along the c axis. Such an unusual phenomenon resembles the strange metal phase in cuprate superconductors. Since there is no sign of the collapse of spin-orbit or Coulomb interactions in x-ray measurements, this novel insulator-metal transition is potentially driven by a first-order structural change at nearby pressures. Our discovery points to a new approach for synthesizing functional materials.
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Coleções:
01-internacional
Base de dados:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Rev Lett
Ano de publicação:
2016
Tipo de documento:
Article
País de afiliação:
China