Dynamics of electron-electron correlated to electron-phonon coupled phase progression in trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10

Abstract

Trilayer nickelates are a rich class of materials exhibiting diverse correlated phenomena, including superconductivity, density wave transitions, non-Fermi liquid behavior along with an unusual metal-to-metal transition around T* ~ 150 K. Understanding the electronic correlations, lattice and charge dynamics are crucial to unreveal the origin of superconductivity and other instabilities in nickelates. Our in-depth Raman measurements shows that trilayer nickelate, La4Ni3O10, shows transition from electron-phonon coupled phase to the electron-electron correlated one below charge density wave transition around T* with an estimated energy gap of ~ 18-20 meV. The transition around T* is also accompanied by the emergence of zone folded phonon modes reflecting the transition into the charge density wave phase. Phonon modes self-energy parameters show anomalous changes around T* attributed to the electron-electron correlations, and renormalization rate of the phonon modes is much slower in the charge-ordered phase compared to the phase above T*. The transition around T* are marked by the suppression of electron-phonon coupling parameter by ~ 70 %, a change of the quasiparticle dynamics from non-Fermi liquid to the Landau-Fermi liquid type behaviour estimated using the low frequency Raman response.