Mott transition in vanadium dioxide (VO$_2$) observed by infrared spectroscopy and nano-imaging

ORAL

Abstract

The driving mechanism for the temperature-induced insulator-to- metal transition (IMT) in vanadium dioxide (VO$_2$) has been debated for the past five decades. Central to this debate is the relative importance of electron-electron correlations and charge-ordering to the IMT. We report near-field infrared images of VO$_2$ films that directly show the percolative IMT. In combination with far-field infrared spectroscopy, the new data reveal the Mott transition with divergent optical mass in the metallic puddles that emerge at the onset of the IMT.

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Authors

  • Mumtaz Qazilbash

    University of California San Diego

  • Greg Andreev

    University of California at San Diego

  • Dimitri Basov

    Univ. of California, San Diego, University of California San Diego, Department of Physics, University of California, San Diego, University of California, San Diego, University of California at San Diego

  • Pei-Chun Ho

    Department of Physics and Institute for Pure and Applied Physical Sciences, University of California-San Diego, Physics/CSU-Fresno, Department of Physics, Cal. State U., Fresno

  • M.B. Maple

    Physics Department, University of California - San Diego, University of California, San Diego, Physics and IPAPS, UCSD, DPIPAP-U.C.-La joya-U.S.A.

  • M. Brehm

  • F. Keilmann

    Max-Planck-Institut f\"ur Biochemie, Abt. Molekulare Strukturbiologie, Max-Planck-Institut fur Biochemie and Center for NanoScience

  • Alexander V. Balatsky

    Theoretical Division and Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratories, Theoretical Division, Los Alamos National Laboratory, Los Alamos National Laboratory, (LANL)

  • Byung-Gyu Chae

  • Bong-Jun Kim

  • Sun Jin Yun

  • Hyun-Tak Kim

    ETRI in Korea, IT Convergence And Components Lab, ETRI, Daejeon, Korea