Imaging stripe dynamics in trilayer nickelate La₄Ni₃O₁₀

Summary

This study employed spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy to perform real-space imaging of the stripe order in the trilayer nickelate La₄Ni₃O₁₀, revealing its local magnetic and charge distributions. The experiments showed that the stripe order exhibits a four-unit-cell periodicity, highly reminiscent of the stripe order in cuprate high-temperature superconductors, and opens a nearly complete energy gap of approximately 66 meV near the Fermi level. More importantly, when the tunneling electron energy exceeds a threshold of about 20 meV, discrete phase slips can be triggered, enabling atomic-scale imaging of stripe dynamics. These results underscore the crucial role of correlated physics in driving stripe-like order in lanthanum nickelates and reveal striking similarities to cuprate superconductors, providing important clues for understanding the pairing mechanism in nickel-based superconductors.

Materials

• La₄Ni₃O₁₀

Methods

• spin-polarized STM
• scanning tunneling spectroscopy

Keywords

• stripe order
• charge density wave
• magnetic order
• phase slips

Highlights

• First real-space imaging of stripe dynamics at atomic scale using spin-polarized STM.
• Stripe order exhibits spontaneous phase jumps induced by tunneling electrons above a threshold energy.
• Demonstrates striking similarities between nickelate and cuprate stripe orders, supporting a common correlation-driven mechanism.

Conclusions

• Real-space imaging reveals stripe order with four-unit-cell periodicity in La₄Ni₃O₁₀, closely resembling cuprate stripe orders.
• The stripe order consists of intertwined magnetic and charge orders, with antiphase antiferromagnetic domains separated by electron-rich rivers.
• Tunneling electrons above 20 meV can trigger discrete phase slips, enabling atomic-scale imaging of stripe dynamics.
• The near-complete 66 meV gap at the Fermi level and the magnetic wave vectors are consistent with correlation-driven stripe order rather than pure nesting.

Main claims

• Stripe order in La₄Ni₃O₁₀ exhibits four-unit-cell periodicity and a ≈66 meV gap
  • Evidence: From abstract: 'stripe order exhibits a four unit cell periodicity, closely resembling that seen in cuprates, and opens a near-complete ≈66meV gap at the Fermi level'
• Discrete phase slips can be triggered by tunneling electrons above ≈20 meV threshold
  • Evidence: From abstract: 'discrete phase slips can be triggered by tunneling electrons above a ≈20 meV threshold, allowing imaging of stripe dynamics at the atomic scale'
• Magnetic order accompanies charge stripe, consisting of antiphase antiferromagnetic domains
  • Evidence: From text: 'We find antiphase antiferromagnetic domains separated by quasi-1D electron-rich rivers'

Workflow

• single_crystal_growth — High-quality single crystals synthesized
  • Materials: La₂O₃; NiO
  • Methods: optical floating zone growth; high-pressure oxygen annealing
  • Observations: single crystal of La₄Ni₃O₁₀
• scanning_tunneling_microscopy_measurements — Stripe order imaged with four-unit-cell periodicity and ≈66 meV gap
  • Materials: La₄Ni₃O₁₀ single crystal
  • Methods: spin-polarized STM; non-magnetic STM
  • Observations: charge stripe modulation; magnetic contrast; tunneling spectra
• data_analysis — Stripe order consists of antiphase antiferromagnetic domains separated by electron-rich rivers
  • Materials: STM images and spectra
  • Methods: Fourier analysis; fugacity analysis
  • Observations: charge and magnetic order wave vectors; electron doping map