LaSrVO4: a candidate for the spin-orbital liquid state

Journal Article · Wed Jan 01 00:00:00 EST 2014 · Physical Review B

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.89.235131· OSTI ID:1143557

Dun, Z. L. ^[1]; Garlea, Vasile O ^[2]; Ren, Y. ^[3]; Choi, E. ^[4]; Zhang, H. M. ^[5]; Dong, S. ^[5]; Zhou, H. D. ^[6]

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1. University of Tennessee, Knoxville (UTK)
2. ORNL
3. Argonne National Laboratory (ANL)
4. National High Magnetic Field Laboratory (Magnet Lab), Florida
5. Southeast University, Nanjing, China
6. University of Tennessee (UT)

A layered perovskite LaSrVO4 was studied by neutron diraction, pair distribution function measurement using synchrotron x-ray, susceptibility and specific heat measurements, and first-principles calculation. The results show (i) a weak structural distortion around 100 K with the existence of orbital fluctuations both above and below it; (ii) the absence of the long range magnetic ordering down to 0.35 K but the appearance of a short range magnetic ordering around 11 K with a T2 behavior of the specic heat below it. Meanwhile, the calculation based on the density functional theory predicts a magnetic ordered ground state. All facts indicate a melting of the magnetic ordering due to the orbital fluctuations in LaSrVO4, which makes it a rare candidate for the spin-orbital liquid state related to t2g orbitals.

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR)
• Sponsoring Organization: USDOE Office of Science (SC)
• DOE Contract Number: DE-AC05-00OR22725
• OSTI ID: 1143557
• Journal Information: Physical Review B, Vol. 89, Issue 23; ISSN 1098--0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English