Spin and orbital interactions in complex oxide heterostructures and transient states probed by x-rays.

Mark P. M. Dean,

Brookhaven National Laboratory

The spin and orbital degrees of freedom play a crucial role in determining the remarkable properties of transition metal oxide materials. In this talk, I will describe how resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) opens up important new possibilities for measuring these degrees of freedom even in challenging cases such a heterostructures and transient states [1]. This includes determining how orbitals are modified within LaNiO3-based heterostructures [2] and characterizing the spin behavior within the ultra-fast transient state of photo-doped Sr2IrO4 [3].

References:

1. M. P. M. Dean et al., Nature Materials 11, 850 (2012); M. P. M. Dean et al., Nature Materials 12, 1019-1023 (2013).

2. G. Fabbris et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 147401 (2016).

3. M. P. M. Dean et al., Nature Materials 15, 601-605 (2016).