Discovery of the soft electronic modes of the trimeron order in magnetite
The result's identifiers
Result code in IS VaVaI
<a href="https://www.isvavai.cz/riv?ss=detail&h=RIV%2F61989100%3A27740%2F20%3A10244892" target="_blank" >RIV/61989100:27740/20:10244892 - isvavai.cz</a>
Result on the web
<a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0823-y#article-info" target="_blank" >https://www.nature.com/articles/s41567-020-0823-y#article-info</a>
DOI - Digital Object Identifier
<a href="http://dx.doi.org/10.1038/s41567-020-0823-y" target="_blank" >10.1038/s41567-020-0823-y</a>
Alternative languages
Result language
angličtina
Original language name
Discovery of the soft electronic modes of the trimeron order in magnetite
Original language description
Spectroscopic study of the low-energy excitations in magnetite Fe3O4 shows the signatures of its charge-ordered structure involved in the metal-insulator transition, whose building blocks are the three-site small polarons, termed trimerons. The Verwey transition in magnetite (Fe3O4) is the first metal-insulator transition ever observed(1) and involves a concomitant structural rearrangement and charge-orbital ordering. Owing to the complex interplay of these intertwined degrees of freedom, a complete characterization of the low-temperature phase of magnetite and the mechanism driving the transition have long remained elusive. It was demonstrated in recent years that the fundamental building blocks of the charge-ordered structure are three-site small polarons called trimerons(2). However, electronic collective modes of this trimeron order have not been detected to date, and thus an understanding of the dynamics of the Verwey transition from an electronic point of view is still lacking. Here, we discover spectroscopic signatures of the low-energy electronic excitations of the trimeron network using terahertz light. By driving these modes coherently with an ultrashort laser pulse, we reveal their critical softening and hence demonstrate their direct involvement in the Verwey transition. These findings shed new light on the cooperative mechanism at the origin of magnetite's exotic ground state.
Czech name
—
Czech description
—
Classification
Type
J<sub>imp</sub> - Article in a specialist periodical, which is included in the Web of Science database
CEP classification
—
OECD FORD branch
10300 - Physical sciences
Result continuities
Project
Result was created during the realization of more than one project. More information in the Projects tab.
Continuities
P - Projekt vyzkumu a vyvoje financovany z verejnych zdroju (s odkazem do CEP)
Others
Publication year
2020
Confidentiality
S - Úplné a pravdivé údaje o projektu nepodléhají ochraně podle zvláštních právních předpisů
Data specific for result type
Name of the periodical
Nature Physics
ISSN
1745-2473
e-ISSN
—
Volume of the periodical
16
Issue of the periodical within the volume
5
Country of publishing house
GB - UNITED KINGDOM
Number of pages
8
Pages from-to
"541–545"
UT code for WoS article
000518737400005
EID of the result in the Scopus database
2-s2.0-85081649581