Crystallization of heavy fermions via epitaxial strain in spinel LiV₂O₄ thin film.

ABSTRACT: The mixed-valent spinel LiV₂O₄ is known as the first oxide heavy-fermion system. There is a general consensus that a subtle interplay of charge, spin, and orbital degrees of freedom of correlated electrons plays a crucial role in the enhancement of quasi-particle mass, but the specific mechanism has remained yet elusive. A charge-ordering (CO) instability of V³⁺ and V⁴⁺ ions that is geometrically frustrated by the V pyrochlore sublattice from forming a long-range CO down to T = 0 K has been proposed as a prime candidate for the mechanism. Here, we uncover the hidden CO instability by applying epitaxial strain on single-crystalline LiV₂O₄ thin films. We find a crystallization of heavy fermions in a LiV₂O

SUBMITTER: Niemann U 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC10268588 | biostudies-literature | 2023 Jun

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature