Orbital Engineering in Nickelate Heterostructures Driven by Anisotropic Oxygen Hybridization rather than Orbital Energy Levels
G. Fabbris, D. Meyers, J. Okamoto, J. Pelliciari, A. S. Disa, Y. Huang, Z.-Y. Chen, W. B. Wu, C. T. Chen, S. Ismail-Beigi, C. H. Ahn, F. J. Walker, D. J. Huang, T. Schmitt, M. P. M. Dean
DOI 10.1103/PhysRevLett.117.147401 · Physical Review Letters
Active bibliographic source — not scientific approval
Bibliographic access preserves source history; it does not approve extracted materials or validate reported claims. Review warnings on each occurrence separately.
Abstract
Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering is used to investigate the electronic origin of orbital polarization in nickelate heterostructures taking LaTiO3−LaNiO3−3×(LaAlO3), a system with exceptionally large polarization, as a model system. We find that heterostructuring generates only minor changes in the Ni 3d orbital energy levels, contradicting the often-invoked picture in which changes in orbital energy levels generate orbital polarization. Instead, O K-edge x-ray absorption spectroscopy demonstrates that orbital polarization is caused by an anisotropic reconstruction of the oxygen ligand hole states. This provides an explanation for the limited success of theoretical predictions based on tuning orbital energy levels and implies that future theories should focus on anisotropic hybridization as the most effective means to drive large changes in electronic structure and realize novel emergent phenomena.
Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval
| Formula | Reported Tc (K) | Pressure (GPa) | Type |
|---|---|---|---|
| La2NiO4+δ Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | — | Pressure not reported | unknown |
| La2-xSrxNiO4 Archive — visibility unverified Source-occurrence policy only; no material identity or catalogue acceptance is inferred from the formula. | — | Pressure not reported | unknown |
Similar papers
Charge ordering as the driving mechanism for superconductivity in rare-earth nickel oxides
similarity 0.93Álvaro Adrián Carrasco Álvarez et al.
Source status unknown — claims are unverified
Superconductivity, Josephson Coupling, and Order Parameter Symmetry in Striped Cuprates
similarity 0.92A. H. Castro Neto & F. Guinea
Source status unknown — claims are unverified
Role of Oxygen States in the Low Valence Nickelate La4Ni3O8
similarity 0.92Y. Shen et al.
Source status unknown — claims are unverified
Topotactic Hydrogen in Nickelate Superconductors and Akin Infinite-Layer Oxides ABO2
similarity 0.91Liang Si et al.
Source status unknown — claims are unverified
Charge order and superconductivity in a two-band model for infinite-layer nickelates
similarity 0.91Cheng Peng et al.
Source status unknown — claims are unverified
Charged domain-wall dynamics in doped antiferromagnets and spin fluctuations in cuprate superconductors
similarity 0.91J. Zaanen et al.
Source status unknown — claims are unverified