Anomalous thermal expansion in orthorhombic perovskite SrIrO3: Interplay between spin-orbit coupling and the crystal lattice
No Thumbnail Available
Date
2014-06-16
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Americal Physical Society
Abstract
The structure of the orthorhombic (Pbnm) polytype of SrIrO3 has been investigated between 3 and 1100 K using a combination of synchrotron and neutron diffraction methods. The orthorhombic structure persists to 1100 K, the highest temperature available in this work. This is a consequence of the larger than expected octahedral tilting estimated from the neutron diffraction studies. We postulate that the strong spin-orbit coupling of the Ir4+ cation, which splits the t2g band, introduces additional strain on the lattice. This introduces unusual thermal expansion of the cell. SrIrO3 was characterized by resistivity, magnetization, and specific heat measurements. Metallic conductivity was observed between 2 and 300 K without indication of the previously reported metal-insulator transition. The Sommerfeld constant γ was 3.12(2) mJ mol−1 K−2, and a Fermi-liquid behavior was observed between 2 and 30 K with positive magnetoresistence of up to 2% (at 70 kOe and between 2 and 50 K).© 2014, American Physical Society.
Description
Keywords
Orthorhombic lattices, Synchrotrons, Neutrons, Diffraction, Temperature control, Magnetization
Citation
Blanchard, P. E. R., Reynolds, E., Kennedy, B. J., Kimpton, J. A., Avdeev, M., & Belik, A. A. (2014). Anomalous thermal expansion in orthorhombic perovskite SrIrO3: Interplay between spin-orbit coupling and the crystal lattice. Physical Review B, 89(21), 214106. doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.89.214106