Nature of the Insulating Ground State of the 5d Postperovskite CaIrO3

Electronic band structure of iridates

In this review, an attempt has been made to compare the electronic structures of various 5d iridates (iridium oxides), with an effort to note the common features and differences. Both experimental studies, especially angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) results, and first-principles band structure calculations have been discussed. This brings to focus the fact that the electronic structures and magnetic properties of the high-Z 5d transition iridates depend on the intricate interplay of strong electron correlation, strong (relativistic) spin-orbit coupling, lattice distortion, and the dimensionality of the system. For example, in the thin film limit, SrIrO₃ exhibits a metal-insulator transition that corresponds to the dimensionality crossover, with the band structure resembling that of bulk Sr₂IrO₄.

Probing spin fluctuations in NaOsO3by muon spin rotation and NMR spectroscopy

We have used muon spin rotation and relaxation (μSR) and²³Na nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) spectroscopic methods in the NaOsO₃antiferromagnetic phase to determine the temperature evolution of the magnetic order parameter and the role of the magnetic fluctuations at the Néel temperature. Additionally, we performed muon spin relaxation measurements in the vicinity ofT_A= 30 K, where the appearance of an anomaly in the electrical resistivity was suggested to be due to a progressive reduction of the Os magnetic moment associated with spin fluctuation. Our measurements suggest the absence of prominent change in the spin fluctuations frequency atT_A, within the muon probing time scale and the absence of a reduction of the localized Os magnetic moment reflected by the stability within few permille of the local magnetic field strength sensed by the muons below 50 K.

Models and materials for generalized Kitaev magnetism

The exactly solvable Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice has recently received enormous attention linked to the hope of achieving novel spin-liquid states with fractionalized Majorana-like excitations. In this review, we analyze the mechanism proposed by Jackeli and Khaliullin to identify Kitaev materials based on spin-orbital dependent bond interactions and provide a comprehensive overview of its implications in real materials. We set the focus on experimental results and current theoretical understanding of planar honeycomb systems (Na₂IrO₃, α-Li₂IrO₃, and α-RuCl₃), three-dimensional Kitaev materials (β- and γ-Li₂IrO₃), and other potential candidates, completing the review with the list of open questions awaiting new insights.

Coulomb correlations in 4d and 5d oxides from first principles-or how spin-orbit materials choose their effective orbital degeneracies

The interplay of spin-orbit coupling and Coulomb correlations has become a hot topic in condensed matter theory and is especially important in 4d and 5d transition metal oxides, like iridates or rhodates. Here, we review recent advances in dynamical mean-field theory (DMFT)-based electronic structure calculations for treating such compounds, introducing all necessary implementation details. We also discuss the evaluation of Hubbard interactions in spin-orbit materials. As an example, we perform DMFT calculations on insulating strontium iridate (Sr₂IrO₄) and its 4d metallic counterpart, strontium rhodate (Sr₂RhO₄). While a Mott-insulating state is obtained for Sr₂IrO₄ in its paramagnetic phase, the spectral properties and Fermi surfaces obtained for Sr₂RhO₄ show excellent agreement with available experimental data. Finally, we discuss the electronic structure of these two compounds by introducing the notion of effective spin-orbital degeneracy as the key quantity that determines the correlation strength. We stress that effective spin-orbital degeneracy introduces an additional axis into the conventional picture of a phase diagram based on filling and on the ratio of interactions to bandwidth, analogous to the degeneracy-controlled Mott transition in d¹ perovskites.

Post-perovskite CaIrO3: a conventional Slater type antiferromagnetic insulator

To resolve the controversy of whether or not the origin of an electronic gap in antiferromagnetic post-perovskite (pPv) CaIrO₃ is due to Coulomb repulsion or spin-orbit coupling, and/or both, we have performed comprehensive full potential density functional theory based calculations. A rather consistent electronic structure, which explains the origin and magnitude of the electronic gap, inter-band d-d transition energies, high thermopower and large magneto-crystalline anisotropy, is obtained with the use of a modified Becke-Johnson (mBJ) exchange potential. Fundamentally, mBJ calculations correctly capture the strong interplay of the crystal field and long range antiferromagnetic ordering of Ir spins as the mechanism that drives pPv-CaIrO₃ to an insulating state. Based on our findings, we propose that pPv-CaIrO₃ is a conventional Slater type antiferromagnetic insulator.