Microscopic theory of the nematic phase in Sr3Ru2O7

S. Raghu, A. Paramekanti, E A. Kim, R. A. Borzi, S. A. Grigera, A. P. Mackenzie, and S. A. Kivelson
Phys. Rev. B 79, 214402 – Published 4 June 2009

Abstract

In an externally applied magnetic field, ultrapure crystals of the bilayer compound Sr3Ru2O7 undergo a metamagnetic transition below a critical temperature, T, which varies as a function of the angle between the magnetic field H and the Ru-O planes. Moreover, T approaches zero when H is perpendicular to the planes. This putative “metamagnetic quantum critical point,” however, is pre-empted by a nematic fluid phase with order one resistive anisotropy in the ab plane. In a “realistic” bilayer model with moderate strength local Coulomb interactions, the existence of a sharp divergence of the electronic density of states near a van Hove singularity of the quasi-one-dimensional bands, and the presence of spin-orbit coupling results in a mean-field phase diagram which accounts for many of these experimentally observed phenomena. Although the spin-orbit coupling is not overly strong, it destroys the otherwise near-perfect Fermi-surface nesting and hence suppresses spin-density-wave ordering.

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  • Received 9 February 2009

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.79.214402

©2009 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

S. Raghu1, A. Paramekanti2, E A. Kim3, R. A. Borzi4,5, S. A. Grigera4,6, A. P. Mackenzie4, and S. A. Kivelson1

  • 1Department of Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA
  • 2Department of Physics, University of Toronto, Toronto, Ontario, Canada M5S1A7
  • 3Department of Physics, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York 14853, USA
  • 4Scottish Universities Physics Alliance, School of Physics and Astronomy, University of St. Andrews, North Haugh, St. Andrews KY169SS, United Kingdom
  • 5Instituto de Investigaciones Fisicoquímicas Teóricas y Aplicadas, and Departamento de Física (UNLP), IFLP (CONICET), 1900 La Plata, Argentina
  • 6Instituto de Física de Líquidos y Sistemas Biológicos, UNLP, La Plata 1900, Argentina

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Vol. 79, Iss. 21 — 1 June 2009

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