Electronic layer decoupling driven by density-wave order in La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$

Abstract

We probe the density-wave transition of the trilayer nickelate La${}_4$Ni${}_3$O${}_{10}$ with polarization-resolved infrared spectroscopy. The low-energy electrodynamics is strongly anisotropic, with metallic in-plane and insulating out-of-plane character. In the ordered phase, the anisotropy grows more than an order of magnitude as the out-of-plane conductivity is sharply suppressed. We interpret this enhancement as an effective electronic decoupling of the Ni-O layers, driven by a spin-density-wave-induced redistribution of Ni-$d_{z^2}$ occupation within the trilayers. This electronic response is accompanied by clear shifts and splittings of the out-of-plane phonons, compatible with a density-wave instability of electronic origin.

31 pages, 22 figures, main text and supplementary material