Evidence for a nematic phase in La${}_{1.75}$Sr${}_{0.25}$NiO${}_4$

Abstract

Determining the nature of electronic states in doped Mott insulators remains a challenging task. In the case of tetragonal La${}_{2-x}$Sr${}_x$NiO${}_4$, the occurrence of diagonal charge and spin stripe order in the ground state is now well established. In contrast, the nature of the high-temperature "disordered" state from which the stripe order develops has long been a subject of controversy, with considerable speculation regarding a polaronic liquid. Following on the recent detection of dynamic charge stripes, we use neutron scattering measurements on an $x=0.25$ crystal to demonstrate that the dispersion of the charge stripe excitations is anisotropic. This observation provides compelling evidence for the presence of electronic nematic order.

6 pages, 4 figures, plus supplemental 3 pages with 2 figures; final version accepted for publication

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• Electron doped layered nickelates: spanning the phase diagram of the cuprates
• Crystal structure stability and electronic properties of layered nickelate La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$
• Superconductivity from charge order in cuprates
• Charge Condensation and Lattice Coupling Drives Stripe Formation in Nickelates
• Nature and impact of stripe freezing in La${}_{1.67}$Sr${}_{0.33}$NiO${}_4$
• Enhancement of $d$-wave pairing in the striped phase with the nearest neighbour attraction
• Particle-hole symmetry of charge excitation spectra in the paramagnetic phase of the Hubbard model
• Electron doping of the layered nickelate La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ by aluminum substitution: A combined experimental and DFT study