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arXiv · 1802.09743

Depth-resolved resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at a superconductor/half-metallic ferromagnet interface through standing-wave excitation

Cheng-Tai Kuo·Shih-Chieh Lin·Giacomo Ghiringhelli·Yingying Peng·Gabriella Maria De Luca·Daniele Di Castro·Davide Betto·Mathias Gehlmann·Tom Wijnands·Mark Huijben·Julia Meyer-Ilse·Eric Gullikson·Jeffrey B. Kortright·Arturas Vailionis·Nicolas Gauquelin·Johan Verbeeck·Timm Gerber·Giuseppe Balestrino·Nicholas B. Brookes·Lucio Braicovich·Charles S. Fadley
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Abstract

We demonstrate that combining standing-wave (SW) excitation with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) can lead to depth resolution and interface sensitivity for studying orbital and magnetic excitations in correlated oxide heterostructures. SW-RIXS has been applied to multilayer heterostructures consisting of a superconductor La$_{1.85}$Sr$_{0.15}$CuO$_{4}$(LSCO) and a half-metallic ferromagnet La$_{0.67}$Sr$_{0.33}$MnO$_{3}$ (LSMO). Easily observable SW effects on the RIXS excitations were found in these LSCO/LSMO multilayers. In addition, we observe different depth distribution of the RIXS excitations. The magnetic excitations are found to arise from the LSCO/LSMO interfaces, and there is also a suggestion that one of the dd excitations comes from the interfaces. SW-RIXS measurements of correlated-oxide and other multilayer heterostructures should provide unique layer-resolved insights concerning their orbital and magnetic excitations, as well as a challenge for RIXS theory to specifically deal with interface effects.

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Cheng-Tai Kuo, Shih-Chieh Lin, Giacomo Ghiringhelli, Yingying Peng, Gabriella Maria De Luca, Daniele Di Castro, Davide Betto, Mathias Gehlmann, Tom Wijnands, Mark Huijben, Julia Meyer-Ilse, Eric Gullikson, Jeffrey B. Kortright, Arturas Vailionis, Nicolas Gauquelin, Johan Verbeeck, Timm Gerber, Giuseppe Balestrino, Nicholas B. Brookes, Lucio Braicovich, Charles S. Fadley. 2018-02-27. Depth-resolved resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at a superconductor/half-metallic ferromagnet interface through standing-wave excitation. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevb.98.235146

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