Abstract
We investigate the electronic reconstruction in (LaNiO)/(LaAlO) (, 5, and 10) superlattices due to the quantum confinement (QC) by dc transport and resonant soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy. In proximity to the QC limit, a Mott-type transition from an itinerant electron behavior to a localized state is observed. The system exhibits tendency toward charge-order during the transition. cluster calculations are in good agreement with the absorption spectra, indicating that the apical ligand hole density is highly suppressed, resulting in a strong modification of the electronic structure. At the dimensional crossover cellular dynamical-mean-field calculations support the emergence of a Mott insulator ground state in the heterostructured ultrathin slab of LaNiO.
- Received 26 January 2011
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.83.161102
©2011 American Physical Society