Modifying the Electronic Properties of the Strontinum Ruthenates via Vacuum Relaxation

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• University of St. Andrews
• Monday 04 July 2022, 15:00-16:00
• Physics East 217 (library).

If you have a question about this talk, please contact Mingee Chung.

The Ruddlesden-Popper series Srn+1RunO3n+1, host a rich variety of strongly correlated phenomena, from unconventional superconductivity and nematicity to quantum critical behaviour and ferromagnetic ordering, offering a unique playground to uncover the connection between chemical structure and correlated electron physics.

Particular highlights of this are evident in the unconventional superconductor Sr2RuO4, where the presence of uniaxial strain has been observed to induce a Lifshitz transition that subsequently doubles the superconducting transition temperature [1]. As well as the paramagnetic material Sr3Ru2O7, which does not superconduct, but instead exhibits a magnetic field induced nematic state and quantum critical fluctuations in a very narrow range of applied magnetic fields [2].

The surfaces of these materials exhibit octahedral rotations different from that found in the bulk of the material and additionally show unique electronic phenomena. This offers an opportunity to study the impact of octahedral modifications on the formation and manipulation of correlated electronic states.

In this talk, I will discuss the modification of the electronic structure and electronic properties that we have uncovered at the surface of the strontium ruthenates via ultra-low temperature scanning tunnelling microscopy. Particularly, I will highlight the suppression of superconductivity, and replacement with checkerboard charge order and nematicity in Sr2RuO4 [3]. As well as the onset of magnetic ordering, and control of this ordering via magnetic field, in Sr3Ru2O7 [4].

This work highlights the importance of structural manipulation in the study of strongly correlated electron physics, and provides new opportunities for the engineering and control of the low energy electronic properties of these systems.

[1] Steppke et al. Science, 355, eaaf9398 (2017) [2] Borzi et al. Science, 314, 214-217 (2007) [3] C. Marques, LCR , et al. Adv. Mater., 33, 2100593 (2021) [4] C. Marques, LCR , et al. arXiv :2202.12351 (2022)

This talk is part of the Condensed Matter Physics Seminars series.

This talk is included in these lists:

• Bham Talks
• Cond. Mat. seminar
• Condensed Matter Physics Seminars
• Physics East 217 (library)
• What's on in Physics?

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