Low-energy plasmon excitations in infinite-layer nickelates

Abstract

The discovery of superconductivity in infinite-layer nickelates is presently an important topic in condensed-matter physics, and potential similarities to and differences from cuprates are under intense debate. We determine general features of the charge excitation spectrum in nickelates from two opposite viewpoints: (i) Nickelates are regarded as strongly correlated electron systems like cuprate superconductors and thus can be described by the $t$-$J$ model, and (ii) electron correlation effects are not as strong as in cuprates, and thus, random-phase approximation (RPA) calculations may capture the essential physics. We find that in both cases, plasmon excitations are realized around the momentum transfer $\vq=(0,0,q_z)$, although they tend to be damped more strongly in the RPA. In particular, this damping is enhanced by the relatively large interlayer hopping expected in nickelates. Besides reproducing the optical plasmon at $\vq=(0,0,0)$ observed in Nd$_{0.8}$Sr$_{0.2}$NiO$_2$, we obtain low-energy plasmons with gaps of $\sim 360$ and $\sim 560$ meV at $\vq=(0,0,q_z)$ for finite $q_z$ in cases (i) and (ii), respectively. The present work offers a possible theoretical hint to answer whether nickelates are cupratelike or not and contributes to the general understanding of the charge dynamics in nickelates.