Phase Separation in the Itinerant Metamagnetic Transition ofSr4Ru3O10

Abstract

We have investigated the electronic transport properties of the triple-layered ruthenate Sr4Ru3O10. We observed surprising anomalous features near its itinerant metamagnetic transition, including ultrasharp magnetoresistivity steps, a nonmetallic temperature dependence in resistivity for upward field sweeps, and a resistivity drop in temperature dependence for downward field sweeps. These features suggest that the metamagnetic transition of Sr4Ru3O10 occurs via an electronic phase separation process with magnetic domain formation.

Double metamagnetic transition inSr4Ru3O10

“…If, on the one hand, their large radial extension leads to weaker electron-electron correlation with respect to 3d TMO, on the other hand, it has been shown that Hund's rule coupling [1] enhances low-energy correlations [2] leading to large quasiparticle renormalization of near-Fermi-level (E F ) 4d electrons [3,4]. This, together with the interplay between lattice and orbital degrees of freedom, orbital polarization, and crystal-field splitting, results in changes in the competing energy scales which give rise to a variety of distinct collective phenomena in the Sr ruthenates RP family, such as spin-triplet chiral superconductivity (Sr 2 RuO 4 , n = 1) [5], quantum criticality and nematicity (Sr 3 Ru 2 O 7 , n = 2) [6,7], ferromagnetism and itinerant metamagnetism (Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 , n = 3) [8][9][10], and isotropic three-dimensional ferromagnetism in SrRuO 3 (n = ∞) [11].…”

Electronic structure trends in the Srn+1RunOMalvestuto1, Carleschi2, Fittipaldi3 et al. 2011Phys. Rev. B357400View full textAdd to dashboardCite

“…1) are unique among transition-metal oxides because the change in the number n of RuO 2 layers leads to a variety of collective phenomena: spintriplet chiral superconductivity 3 and Fermi-surface anomalies 4 (n = 1); heavy d-electron masses [5][6][7][8] (n = 1,2); colossal magnetoresistance, 9 proximity to a metamagnetic quantum critical point, and nematic fluid behavior [10][11][12] (n = 2); and itinerant ferromagnetism and metamagnetism (n = 3). [13][14][15] It is believed that such diversity stems from the interplay of orbital, spin, and lattice degrees of freedom in the partially filled Ru 4d shells (t 4 2g e 0 g ). Understanding how the change in n, which reflects the dimensionality, modifies this interplay is thus crucial to explaining the physics of these ruthenates.…”

Antiferromagnetism atT>500Kin the layered hexagonal ruthenateSrRu2O6Hiley1, Scanlon2, Sokol3 et al. 2015Phys. Rev. B493340View full textAdd to dashboardCite

“…Sr n+1 Ru n O 3n+1 Ruddlesden-Popper phases include the spin-triplet chiral superconductor Sr 2 RuO 4 [3], Sr 3 Ru 2 O 7 , an itinerant metamagnet [4] with electron nematic behavior [5] and Sr 4 Ru 3 O 10 , an itinerant ferromagnet and metamagnet [6,7]. While some strontium ruthenates contain Ru in the +5 or the +6 oxidation state, for example Sr 2 [9] and Sr 4 Ru 2 V Ru VI O 12 [10], their magnetic properties have been less explored, despite the interesting phenomena observed in other Ru(V)-containing oxides [11][12][13][14][15][16][17].…”