Scale-invariant magnetic textures in the strongly correlated oxide NdNiO${}_3$

Abstract

Strongly correlated quantum solids are characterized by an inherently granular electronic fabric, with spatial patterns that can span multiple length scales in proximity to a critical point. Here, we used a resonant magnetic X-ray scattering nanoprobe with sub-100 nm spatial resolution to directly visualize the texture of antiferromagnetic domains in NdNiO${}_3$. Surprisingly, our measurements revealed a highly textured magnetic fabric, which is shown to be robust and nonvolatile even after thermal erasure across its ordering ($T_{N\acute{e}el}$) temperature. The scale-free distribution of antiferromagnetic domains and its non-integral dimensionality point to a hitherto-unobserved magnetic fractal geometry in this system. These scale-invariant textures directly reflect the continuous nature of the magnetic transition and the proximity of this system to a critical point. The present study not only exposes the near-critical behavior in rare earth nickelates but also underscores the potential for novel X-ray scattering nanoprobes to image the multiscale signatures of criticality near a critical point.

8 pages, 3 figures

References in corpus (8)

• Theory of Intertwined Orders in High Temperature Superconductors
• Physics of ultrathin films and heterostructures of rare earth nickelates
• Fractal dimension and size scaling of domains in thin films of multiferroic BiFeO3
• Scale-free structural organization of oxygen interstitials in La2CuO4+y
• Electronic Origin of the Inhomogeneous Pairing Interaction in the High-Tc Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+d
• Resonant Elastic Soft X-Ray Scattering
• Role of magnetic and orbital ordering at the metal-insulator transition in NdNiO3
• Origin and tailoring of the antiferromagnetic domain structure in $\alpha$-Fe${}_2$O${}_3$ thin films unraveled by statistical analysis of dichroic spectro-microscopy (X-PEEM) images

Cited by in corpus (9)

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• Nanoscale visualization of the thermally-driven evolution of antiferromagnetic domains in FeTe thin films
• Scale free distribution of oxygen interstitials wires in optimum doped HgBa${}_2$CuO${}_{4+y}$
• Fresnel diffraction imaging of surface nanostructure using coherent resonant X-ray scattering
• Deep Learning Hamiltonians from Disordered Image Data in Quantum Materials
• Coherent epitaxy of trilayer nickelate (Nd0.8Sr0.2)4Ni3O10 films by high-pressure magnetron sputtering
• Cell dynamics simulations of coupled charge and magnetic phase transformation in correlated oxides
• Anisotropy of Antiferromagnetic Domains in a Spin-orbit Mott Insulator
• Observation of microscopic domain effects in the metal-insulator transition of thin-film NdNiO${}_3$