arXiv subjects

Sergey V. Streltsov

Publications and source records attributed to Sergey V. Streltsov.

32 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

arXiv2020

Three-site transition-metal clusters: going from localized electrons to molecular orbitals

A recently synthesised series of isostructural compounds Ba$_4$NbTM$_3$O$_{12}$ (TM = Mn, Rh and Ir) with transition-metal trimers in a face-sharing geometry makes it possible to examine a tendency to the molecular orbitals (MO) formation going from $3d$ to $5d$ transition metal ions. Our $ab$ $initio$ calculations of electronic and magnetic properties describe the experimental findings and demonstrate gradual transition from the picture of localized electrons for Mn to the MO picture for Rh and especially for Ir. We also show that the often used criterion, according to which the metal-metal distance in a compound shorter than in a respective metal always gives MO, may break down in some cases.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2020

Unconventional magnetism and electronic state in frustrated layered system PdCrO$_2$

First-principles calculations and a model consideration of magnetically frustrated layered material PdCrO$_2$ are performed. The results on the exchange parameters are in agreement with the experimental data on the Curie-Weiss temperature ($θ$). We show that experimentally observed strong suppression of the Néel temperature ($T_N$) in comparison with the Curie-Weiss temperature is due to three main factors. First, as expected, this is connected with the layered structure and relatively small exchange interaction along the $c$ axis. Second, deformation of the ideal in-plane 120$^{\circ}$ magnetic structure is crucial to provide finite $T_N$ value. However, these two factors are still insufficient to explain low $T_N$ and the large frustration factor $|θ|/T_N$. Thus, we suggest a scenario of an exotic non-Fermi-liquid state in PdCrO$_2$ above $T_N$ within the frameworks of the Anderson lattice model, which seems to explain qualitatively all its main peculiarities.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Theoretical evidence of spin-orbital-entangled $J_{\mathbf{eff}}$=1/2 state in the 3$d$ transition metal oxide CuAl$_2$O$_4$

Transition metal oxides exhibit various competing phases and exotic phenomena depending on how their reaction to the rich degeneracy of the $d$-orbital. Large spin-orbit coupling (SOC) reduces this degeneracy in a unique way by providing a spin-orbital-entangled ground state for 4$d$ and 5$d$ transition metal compounds. In particular, the spin-orbital-entangled Kramers doublet, known as the $J_{\mathbf{eff}}$=1/2 pseudospin, appears in layered iridates and $α$-RuCl$_3$, manifesting a relativistic Mott insulating phase. Such entanglement, however, seems barely attainable in 3$d$ transition metal oxides, where the SOC is small and the orbital angular momentum is easily quenched. From experimental and theoretical evidence, here we report on the CuAl$_2$O$_4$ spinel as the first example of a $J_{\mathbf{eff}}$=1/2 Mott insulator in 3$d$ transition metal compounds. Based on the experimental study, including synthesis of the cubic CuAl$_2$O$_4$ single crystal, density functional theory and dynamical mean field theory calculations reveal that the $J_{\mathbf{eff}}$=1/2 state survives the competition with an orbital-momentum-quenched $S$=1/2 state. The electron-addition spectra probing unoccupied states are well described by the $j_{\mathbf{eff}}$=1/2 hole state, whereas electron-removal spectra have a rich multiplet structure. The fully relativistic entity found in CuAl$_2$O$_4$ provides new insight into the untapped regime where the spin-orbital-entangled Kramers pair coexists with strong electron correlation.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

A key role of correlation effects in the Lifshitz transition in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$

Uniaxial pressure applied along an Ru-Ru bond direction induces an elliptical distortion of the largest Fermi surface of Sr$_2$RuO$_4$, eventually causing a Fermi surface topological transition, also known as a Lifshitz transition, into an open Fermi surface. There are various anomalies in low-temperature properties associated with this transition, including maxima in the superconducting critical temperature and in resistivity. In the present paper, we report new measurements, employing new uniaxial stress apparatus and new measurements of the low-temperature elastic moduli, of the strain at which this Lifshitz transition occurs: a longitudinal strain $\varepsilon_{xx}$ of $(-0.44\pm0.06)\cdot10^{-2}$, which corresponds to a B$_{1g}$ strain $\varepsilon_{xx} - \varepsilon_{yy}$ of $(-0.66\pm0.09)\cdot10^{-2}$. This is considerably smaller than the strain corresponding to a Lifshitz transition in density functional theory calculations, even if the spin-orbit coupling is taken into account. Using dynamical mean-field theory we show that electronic correlations reduce the critical strain. It turns out that the orbital anisotropy of the local Coulomb interaction on the Ru site is furthermore important to bring this critical strain close to the experimental number, and thus well into the experimentally accessible range of strains.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Phonon mode calculations and Raman spectroscopy of the bulk-insulating topological insulator BiSbTeSe$_2$

The tetradymite compound BiSbTeSe$_2$, is one of the most bulk-insulating three-dimensional topological insulators, which makes it important in the topological insulator research. It is a member of the solid-solution system Bi$_{2-x}$Sb$_x$Te$_{3-y}$Se$_y$, for which the local crystal structure, such as the occupation probabilities of each atomic site, is not well understood. We have investigated the temperature and polarization dependent spontaneous Raman scattering in BiSbTeSe$_2$, revealing a much higher number of lattice vibrational modes than predicted by group theoretical considerations for the space group R$\bar{3}$m corresponding to an ideally random solid-solution situation. The density functional calculations of phonon frequencies show a very good agreement with experimental data for parent material Bi$_2$Te$_3$, where no disorder effects were found. In comparison to Bi$_2$Te$_3$ the stacking disorder in BiSbTeSe$_2$, causes a discrepancy between theory and experiment. Combined analysis of experimental Raman spectra and DFT calculated phonon spectra for different types of atomic orders showed coexistence of different sequences of layers in the material and that those with Se in the center and a local order of Se-Bi-Se-Sb-Te, are the most favored.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Old puzzle of incommensurate crystal structure of calaverite AuTe$_2$ and predicted stability of novel AuTe compound

It is shown that the long-standing puzzle of incommensurate crystal structure of AuTe$_2$ can be solved, if this material is considered as a negative charge-transfer system. Using modern computational methods, we demonstrate that charge redistribution associated with incommensurate modulations of crystal structure occurs not so much on Au, but predominantly on Te sites. This substantially reduces Coulomb energy costs for creating such a unique crystal structure. The same mechanism also explains superconductivity of doped AuTe$_2$. Exploring different Au-Te compositions, we also discovered a previously unknown compound AuTe, which theoretically is very stable, and we predict its crystal structure.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Electronic correlations and competing orders in multiorbital dimers: a cluster DMFT study

We investigate the violation of the first Hund's rule in 4$d$ and 5$d$ transition metal oxides that form solids of dimers. Bonding states within these dimers reduce the magnetization of such materials. We parametrize the dimer formation with realistic hopping parameters and find not only regimes, where the system behaves as a Fermi liquid or as a Peierls insulator, but also strongly correlated regions due to Hund's coupling and its competition with the dimer formation. The electronic structure is investigated using the cluster dynamical mean-field theory for a dimer in the two-plane Bethe lattice with two orbitals per site and $3/8$-filling, that is three electrons per dimer. It reveals dimer-antiferromagnetic order of a high-spin (double exchange) state and a low-spin (molecular orbital) state. At the crossover region we observe the suppression of long-range magnetic order, fluctuation enhancement and renormalization of electron masses. At certain interaction strengths the system becomes an incoherent antiferromagnetic metal with well defined local moments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Hydrogenation driven formation of local magnetic moments in FeO$_2$H$_x$

The electronic and magnetic properties of recently discovered new important constituent of the Earth's lower mantle FeO2H were investigated by means of the density functional theory combined with the dynamical mean field theory (DFT+DMFT). Addition of the hydrogen to the parent FeO2 compound, which is an uncorrelated bad metal, destroys the most important ingredient of its electronic structure - O-O molecular orbitals. In effect physical properties of FeO2 and FeO2H turn to be completely different, FeO2H is a correlated metal with a mass renormalization, m*/m ~ 2, and magnetic moments on Fe ions become well localized with the Curie-Weiss type of uniform magnetic susceptibility.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Orbital-selective behavior in Y5Mo2O12 and (Cd,Zn)V2O4

We present two examples of the real materials, which show orbital-selective behavior. In both compounds a part of the electrons is localized on the molecular orbitals, which lead to a significant reduction of the magnetic moment on the transition metal ion.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2014

Magnetostriction and ferroelectric state in AgCrS$_2$

The band structure calculations in the GGA+U approximation show the presence of additional lattice distortions in the magnetically ordered phase of AgCrS$_2$. The magnetostriction leads to formation of the long and short Cr-Cr bonds in the case when respective Cr ions have the same or opposite spin projections. These changes of the Cr lattice are accompanied by distortions of the CrS$_6$ octahedra, which in its turn leads to development of the spontaneous electric polarization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Two-step antiferromagnetic transition and moderate triangular frustration in Li2Co(WO4)2

We present a detailed investigation of the magnetic properties of the spin-$\frac{3}{2}$ system Li$_2$Co(WO$_4$)$_2$ by means of magnetic susceptibility and specific heat. Our experimental results show that in Li$_2$Co(WO$_4$)$_2$ a short-range antiferromagnetic (AFM) correlations appear near $χ$$_{max}$ $\sim$ 11 K and two successive long-range AFM phase transitions are observed at T$_{N1}$$\sim$ 9 K and T$_{N2}$$\sim$ 7 K. The frustration factor, $\mid$$Θ$$\mid$/T$_{N1}$$\sim$3, indicates that the system is moderately frustrated, which is identifiable by the broken triangular symmetry within both $ab$- and $bc$-planes for the triclinic crystal structure. The magnetic isotherm at temperatures below T$_{N2}$ shows a field-induced spin-flop transition, and a complete H-T phase diagram for the two-step AFM system is mapped. $Ab$~$initio$ band structure calculations suggest that the strongest exchange coupling does not correspond to the shortest Co-Co distance along the $a$-axis, but rather along the diagonal direction through a Co-O-W-O-Co super-superexchange path within the $bc$-plane

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2014

Orbital-dependent singlet dimers and orbital-selective Peierls transitions in transition metal compounds

We show that in transition metal compounds containing structural metal dimers there may exist in the presence of different orbitals a special state with partial formation of singlets by electrons on one orbital, while others are effectively decoupled and may give e.g. long-range magnetic order or stay paramagnetic. Similar situation can be realized in dimers spontaneously formed at structural phase transitions, which can be called orbital-selective Peierls transition. This can occur in case of strongly nonuniform hopping integrals for different orbitals and small intra-atomic Hund's rule coupling JH. Yet another consequence of this picture is that for odd number of electrons per dimer there exist competition between double exchange mechanism of ferromagnetism, and the formation of singlet dimer by electron on one orbital, with remaining electrons giving a net spin of a dimer. The first case is realized for strong Hund's rule coupling, typical for 3d compounds, whereas the second is more plausible for 4d-5d compounds. We discuss some implications of these phenomena, and consider examples of real systems, in which orbital-selective phase seems to be realized.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2013

A valence bond liquid on the honeycomb lattice

The honeycomb lattice material Li2RuO3 undergoes a dimerization of Ru4+ cations on cooling below 270C, where the magnetic susceptibility vanishes. We use density functional theory calculations to show that this reflects the formation of a 'valence bond crystal', with a strong bond disproportionation. On warming, x-ray diffraction shows that discrete three-fold symmetry is regained on average, and the dimerization apparently disappears. In contrast, local structural measurements using high-energy x-rays, show that disordered dimers survive at the nanoscale up to at least 650C. The high temperature phase of Li2RuO3 is thus an example of a valence bond liquid, where thermal fluctuations drive resonance between different dimer coverages, a classic analogue of the resonating valence bond state often discussed in connection with high T$_c$ cuprates.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2012

Electric field control of the magnetic chiralities in ferroaxial multiferroic RbFe(MoO4)2

The coupling of magnetic chiralities to the ferroelectric polarisation in multiferroic RbFe(MoO$_4$)$_2$ is investigated by neutron spherical polarimetry. Because of the axiality of the crystal structure below $T_\textrm{c}$ = 190 K, helicity and triangular chirality are symmetric-exchange coupled, explaining the onset of the ferroelectricity in this proper-screw magnetic structure - a mechanism that can be generalised to other systems with "ferroaxial" distortions in the crystal structure. With an applied electric field we demonstrate control of the chiralities in both structural domains simultaneously.

cond-mat.str-el↗