Spin-orbital-entangled Jeff=1/2 state in 3d transition metal oxide CuAl2O4

ORAL

Abstract

We show that CuAl2O4 spinel can host a spin-orbital-entangled Jeff=1/2 state. During the long history of the 3d transition metal study, spin-orbit coupling has never been a dominating energy scale. Here we propose on the CuAl2O4 as the first example of a Jeff=1/2 Mott insulator in 3d transition metal compounds. From single crystal X-ray diffraction data, our CuAl2O4 is confirmed to have cubic structure without Jahn-Teller distortion and it is consistent with first-principles total energy calculations. Density functional theory combined with dynamical mean field theory calculations reveal that the Jeff=1/2 state survives the competition with the orbital-momentum-quenched S=1/2 state with the help of strong electron correlation.

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Presenters

  • Choong Hyun Kim

    Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science & Seoul National Univeristy, Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul National University, CCES-IBS

Authors

  • Choong Hyun Kim

    Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science & Seoul National Univeristy, Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul National University, CCES-IBS

  • Hwanbeom Cho

    Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science & Seoul National Univeristy, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University (SNU), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University

  • Santu Baidya

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science & Seoul National Univeristy

  • Vladimir Gapontsev

    M.N. Miheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences

  • Sergey Streltsov

    Institute of Metal Physics, M.N. Miheev Institute of Metal Physics of Ural Branch of Russian Academy of Sciences, Ural Federal University, Ekaterinburg, Russia

  • Daniel Khomskii

    University of Cologne, Universität zu Köln, University of Cologne, Germany

  • Je-Guen Park

    Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University, Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science & Seoul National Univeristy, 2 Center for Correlated Electron Systems, institute for Basic Science; and 3 Department of Physics and Astronomy ,Seoul National University, Seoul, South Korea, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Seoul National University (SNU), Seoul National University, Department of Physics & Astronomy, Seoul National University, Seoul, Korea, Center for Correlated Electron Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS), Korea

  • Ara Go

    Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems, Institute for Basic Science, Institute for Basic Science, Center for Theoretical Physics of Complex Systems, Institute for Basic Science (IBS)

  • Hosub Jin

    Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology, Department of Physics, Ulsan National Institute of Science and Technology (UNIST)