Nanotextured phase coexistence in the correlated insulator v2o3

ABSTRACT The insulator–metal transition remains among the most studied phenomena in correlated electron physics. However, the spontaneous formation of spatial patterns amidst insulator–metal

phase coexistence remains poorly explored on the meso- and nanoscales. Here we present real-space evolution of the insulator–metal transition in a V2O3 thin film imaged at high spatial

resolution by cryogenic near-field infrared microscopy. We resolve spontaneously nanotextured coexistence of metal and correlated Mott insulator phases near the insulator–metal transition

(∼160–180 K) associated with percolation and an underlying structural phase transition. Augmented with macroscopic temperature-resolved X-ray diffraction measurements of the same film, a

quantitative analysis of nano-infrared images acquired across the transition suggests decoupling of electronic and structural transformations. Persistent low-temperature metallicity is

accompanied by unconventional critical behaviour, implicating the long-range Coulomb interaction as a driving force through the film’s first-order insulator–metal transition. Access through

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CONTENT BEING VIEWED BY OTHERS NANOSCALE SELF-ORGANIZATION AND METASTABLE NON-THERMAL METALLICITY IN MOTT INSULATORS Article Open access 28 June 2022 PROBING THE ROLE OF THERMAL VIBRATIONAL

DISORDER IN THE SPT OF VO\(_2\) BY RAMAN SPECTROSCOPY Article Open access 15 January 2021 EMERGENT LONG-RANGE MAGNETIC ORDER IN ULTRATHIN (111)-ORIENTED LANIO3 FILMS Article Open access 12

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constants on a subwavelength scale. _Phys. Rev. Lett._ 85, 3029–3032 (2000). Article  ADS  Google Scholar  Download references ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS A.S.M., E.v.H., M.G., L.A., P.K., A.M., M.K.L.

and D.N.B. were supported by DOE-DE-SC0012375 and DOE-DE-SC0012592. J.G.R., S.W., T.S., S.G. and I.K.S. were supported by AFOSR Grant No. FA9550-12-1-0381. A.S.M. acknowledges support from 

a US Department of Energy Office of Science Graduate Fellowship (SCGF). Development of methods for cryogenic nano-infrared imaging is supported by ARO-w911NF-13-1-0210 and

ONR-N00014-15-1-2671. D.N.B. is the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation’s Investigator in Quantum Materials award under the EPiQS Initiative through Grant GBMF4533. E.v.H. acknowledges the

support of the US National Science Foundation I2CAM International Materials Institute Award, Grant DMR-0844115. AUTHOR INFORMATION Author notes * J. G. Ramirez, T. Saerbeck & M. K. Liu

Present address: Present addresses: Universidad de los Andes, Bogotá 111711, Colombia (J.G.R.); Institut Laue-Langevin, 71 avenue des Martyrs, 38000 Grenoble, France (T.S.); Stony Brook

University, Stony Brook, New York 11794, USA (M.K.L.)., AUTHORS AND AFFILIATIONS * University of California San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, California 92093, USA A. S. McLeod, E. van

Heumen, J. G. Ramirez, S. Wang, T. Saerbeck, S. Guenon, M. Goldflam, L. Anderegg, P. Kelly, A. Mueller, M. K. Liu, Ivan K. Schuller & D. N. Basov * University of Amsterdam, Sciencepark

904, 1098 XH Amsterdam, Netherlands E. van Heumen * Department of Physics, Columbia University, 538 West 120th Street New York, New York 10027, USA D. N. Basov Authors * A. S. McLeod View

author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * E. van Heumen View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * J. G.

Ramirez View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S. Wang View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar *

T. Saerbeck View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * S. Guenon View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google

Scholar * M. Goldflam View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * L. Anderegg View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed

 Google Scholar * P. Kelly View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * A. Mueller View author publications You can also search for this author

inPubMed Google Scholar * M. K. Liu View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar * Ivan K. Schuller View author publications You can also search for

this author inPubMed Google Scholar * D. N. Basov View author publications You can also search for this author inPubMed Google Scholar CONTRIBUTIONS Experiments were conceived jointly by all

authors. S.W. and J.G.R. grew the V2O3 film. A.S.M. and E.v.H. performed nano-IR measurements on the film, while J.G.R. and T.S. performed _ex situ_ X-ray diffraction and resistance

measurements. A.S.M., E.v.H., M.G., L.A. and P.K. developed the nano-IR instrumentation. All authors prepared the manuscript. CORRESPONDING AUTHOR Correspondence to A. S. McLeod. ETHICS

DECLARATIONS COMPETING INTERESTS The authors declare no competing financial interests. SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION SUPPLEMENTARY INFORMATION Supplementary information (PDF 15561 kb) RIGHTS AND

PERMISSIONS Reprints and permissions ABOUT THIS ARTICLE CITE THIS ARTICLE McLeod, A., van Heumen, E., Ramirez, J. _et al._ Nanotextured phase coexistence in the correlated insulator V2O3.

_Nature Phys_ 13, 80–86 (2017). https://doi.org/10.1038/nphys3882 Download citation * Received: 14 April 2015 * Accepted: 11 August 2016 * Published: 12 September 2016 * Issue Date: January

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