Role of oxygen electrons in the metal-insulator transition in the magnetoresistive oxide La2-2xSr1+2xMn2O7 probed by compton scattering

Extracting the redox orbitals in Li battery materials with high-resolution x-ray compton scattering spectroscopy

We present an incisive spectroscopic technique for directly probing redox orbitals based on bulk electron momentum density measurements via high-resolution x-ray Compton scattering. Application of our method to spinel Li_{x}Mn_{2}O_{4}, a lithium ion battery cathode material, is discussed. The orbital involved in the lithium insertion and extraction process is shown to mainly be the oxygen 2p orbital. Moreover, the manganese 3d states are shown to experience spatial delocalization involving 0.16±0.05 electrons per Mn site during the battery operation. Our analysis provides a clear understanding of the fundamental redox process involved in the working of a lithium ion battery.

A Minimal tight-binding model for ferromagnetic canted bilayer manganites

Half-metallicity in materials has been a subject of extensive research due to its potential for applications in spintronics. Ferromagnetic manganites have been seen as a good candidate, and aside from a small minority-spin pocket observed in La_2−2xSr_1+2xMn₂O₇ (x = 0.38), transport measurements show that ferromagnetic manganites essentially behave like half metals. Here we develop robust tight-binding models to describe the electronic band structure of the majority as well as minority spin states of ferromagnetic, spin-canted antiferromagnetic, and fully antiferromagnetic bilayer manganites. Both the bilayer coupling between the MnO₂ planes and the mixing of the |x² − y² > and |3z² − r² > Mn 3d orbitals play an important role in the subtle behavior of the bilayer splitting. Effects of k_z dispersion are included.

Calculating electron momentum densities and Compton profiles using the linear tetrahedron method

A method for computing electron momentum densities and Compton profiles from ab initio calculations is presented. Reciprocal space is divided into optimally-shaped tetrahedra for interpolation, and the linear tetrahedron method is used to obtain the momentum density and its projections such as Compton profiles. Results are presented and evaluated against experimental data for Be, Cu, Ni, Fe3Pt, and YBa2Cu4O8, demonstrating the accuracy of our method in a wide variety of crystal structures.

f Electron contribution to the change of electronic structure in CeRu2Si2 with temperature: a Compton scattering study

High resolution Compton profiles have been measured in the single crystal of CeRu(2)Si(2) above and below the Kondo temperature to elucidate the change of the Ce-4f electron from localized to itinerant states. Two-dimensional electron occupation number densities projected on the first Brillouin zone, which are obtained after a series of analyses, clearly specify the difference between itinerant and localized states. The contribution of Ce-4f electrons to the electronic structure is discussed by contrast with a band calculation.

Competing ferromagnetism and superconductivity on FeAs layers in EuFe2(As0.73P0.27)2

We have measured the spin-polarized electron momentum density distributions of EuFe2(As0.73P0.27)2 by magnetic Compton scattering (MCS) measurements. For the first time, we show direct evidence of competing ferromagnetism and superconductivity (SC) on FeAs layers in this iron pnictide system. The MCS orbitalwise decomposition of the density distributions reveals that between 16 and 19 K, the spin-polarized Fe-3d character is enhanced (as the ferromagnetic character supersedes superconducting character), where the resistivity shows a maximum, reentrant SC-like peak, at 18 K. The spin polarization of the Fe-3d orbital, enhanced by ferromagnetic Eu ions, suppresses the SC around 18 K, while at other temperatures the system indeed exhibits SC where the Fe-3d spin polarization is suppressed or collapses.