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Enhanced Magnetic Anisotropy and Orbital Symmetry Breaking in Manganite Heterostructures
Author(s) -
Chen Pingfan,
Huang Zhen,
Li Mengsha,
Yu Xiaojiang,
Wu Xiaohan,
Li Changjian,
Bao Nina,
Zeng Shengwei,
Yang Ping,
Qu Lili,
Chen Jingsheng,
Ding Jun,
Pennycook Stephen John,
Wu Wenbin,
Venkatesan Thirumalai Venky,
Ariando Ariando,
Chow Gan Moog
Publication year - 2020
Publication title -
advanced functional materials
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 6.069
H-Index - 322
eISSN - 1616-3028
pISSN - 1616-301X
DOI - 10.1002/adfm.201909536
Subject(s) - manganite , condensed matter physics , anisotropy , magnetic anisotropy , materials science , heterojunction , symmetry breaking , anisotropy energy , crystal (programming language) , magnetic field , ferromagnetism , magnetization , physics , optics , quantum mechanics , computer science , programming language
Manipulating magnetic anisotropy in complex oxide heterostructures has attracted much attention. Here, three interface‐engineering approaches are applied to address two general issues with controlling magnetic anisotropy in the La 2/3 Sr 1/3 MnO 3 heterostructure. One is the paradox arising from the competition between Mn 3d –O 2p orbital hybridization and MnO 6 crystal field. The other is the interfacial region where the nonuniform MnO bond length d and MnOMn bond angle θ disturb the structural modulation. When the interfacial region is suppressed in the interface‐engineered samples, the lateral magnetic anisotropy energy is increased eighteen times. The d ‐mediated anisotropic crystal filed that overwhelms the orbital hybridization causes the lateral symmetry breaking of the Mn 3d x 2 − y 2 orbital, resulting in enhanced magnetic anisotropy. This is different from the classic Jahn–Teller effect where the lateral symmetry is always preserved. Moreover, the quantitative analysis on X‐ray linear dichroism data suggests a direct correlation between Mn 3d x 2 − y 2 orbital symmetry breaking and magnetic anisotropy energy. The findings not only advance the understanding of magnetic anisotropy in manganite heterostructures but also can be extended to other complex oxides and perovskite materials with correlated degrees of freedom.