Electronic character of charge order in square planar low valence nickelates

Abstract

Charge order is a central feature of the physics of cuprate superconductors and is known to arise from a modulation of holes with primarily oxygen character. Low-valence nickelate superconductors also host charge order, but the electronic character of this symmetry breaking is unsettled. Here, using resonant inelastic x-ray scattering at the Ni $L_2$-edge, we identify intertwined involvements of Ni $3d_{x^2-y^2}$, $3d_{3z^2-r^2}$, and O $2p_{\sigma }$ orbitals in the formation of diagonal charge order in an overdoped low-valence nickelate La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_8$. The Ni $3d_{x^2-y^2}$ orbitals, strongly hybridized with planar O $2p_{\sigma }$, largely shape the spatial charge distribution and lead to Ni site-centered charge order. The $3d_{3z^2-r^2}$ orbitals play a small, but non-negligible role in the charge order as they hybridize with the rare-earth $5d$ orbitals. Our results reveal that the low-energy physics and ground-state character of these nickelates are more complex than those in cuprates.

Accepted in Physical Review X; 7 pages plus references and supplementary materials

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Cited by in corpus (6)

• Exploring Quantum Materials with Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering
• Orbital polarization, charge transfer, and fluorescence in reduced valence nickelates
• Softening of $dd$ excitation in the resonant inelastic x-ray scattering spectra as a signature of Hund's coupling in nickelates
• Magnetic excitations in Nd${}_{n+1}$Ni${}_n$O${}_{3n+1}$ Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates observed via resonant inelastic x-ray scattering
• Superconducting phase diagram of multi-layer square-planar nickelates
• Observation of correlated plasmons in low-valence nickelates