Surface structural analysis of the layered perovskite Sr2RuO4 by LEED I(V)
- 1. Physikalisches Institut, Universitaet Wuerzburg, Am Hubland, 97074 Wuerzburg (Germany)
- 2. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996 1200 and Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL), Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6057 (United States)
- 3. Joint Research Center for Atom Technology (JRCAT), Tsukuba 305-0046, (Japan)
- 4. Department of Applied Physics, University of Tokyo, Tokyo 113-0033 (Japan)
- 5. Joint Research Center for Atom Technology (JRCAT), Tsukuba 305-0046 (Japan)
Description
The surface structure of vacuum cleaved Sr2RuO4 single crystals has been analyzed by low-energy electron diffraction (LEED). The very sharp LEED pattern clearly shows fractional order beams, which belong to a (√2x√2)R45 deg. surface unit cell. Certain fractional beams are extinct at all energies indicating that the surface has a glide-line symmetry in the [110] direction. The structure refinement within a LEED-I(V) analysis reveals that in the surface of the layered perovskite structure the RuO6 octahedra are rotated alternating clockwise and counterclockwise by 8.5 deg. ±2.5 deg. around the surface-normal direction. This static distortion corresponds to a zone boundary soft phonon observed in the bulk that freezes out in the environment of broken symmetry at the surface. The surface reconstruction modifies the surface electronic and magnetic properties significantly and provides the opportunity to study the coupling mechanism in this unconventional superconductor
Additional details
Identifiers
Publishing Information
- Journal Title
- Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics
- Journal Volume
- 65
- Journal Issue
- 8
- Journal Page Range
- p. 085404-085404.6
- ISSN
- 1098-0121
INIS
- Country of Publication
- United States
- Country of Input or Organization
- International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA)
- INIS RN
- 36001258
- Subject category
- S75: CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY; S36: MATERIALS SCIENCE;
- Descriptors DEI
- BEAMS; COUPLING; ELECTRON DIFFRACTION; FREEZING OUT; MAGNETIC PROPERTIES; MAGNETISM; MONOCRYSTALS; OXIDES; PEROVSKITE; PHONONS; RUTHENIUM COMPOUNDS; STRONTIUM COMPOUNDS; SURFACES; SYMMETRY BREAKING; TYPE-II SUPERCONDUCTORS
- Descriptors DEC
- ALKALINE EARTH METAL COMPOUNDS; CHALCOGENIDES; COHERENT SCATTERING; CRYSTALS; DIFFRACTION; MINERALS; OXIDE MINERALS; OXYGEN COMPOUNDS; PEROVSKITES; PHYSICAL PROPERTIES; QUASI PARTICLES; REFRACTORY METAL COMPOUNDS; SCATTERING; SEPARATION PROCESSES; SUPERCONDUCTORS; TRANSITION ELEMENT COMPOUNDS
Optional Information
- Contract/Grant/Project number
- Contract DE-AC05-00OR22725
- Notes
- (c) 2002 The American Physical Society