IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/nat/natcom/v15y2024i1d10.1038_s41467-024-52350-1.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Unconventional insulator-to-metal phase transition in Mn3Si2Te6

Author

Listed:
  • Yanhong Gu

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Kevin A. Smith

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Amartyajyoti Saha

    (University of Minnesota
    University of Minnesota)

  • Chandan De

    (Pohang University of Science and Technology
    Okinawa Institute of Science and Technology)

  • Choong-jae Won

    (Pohang University of Science and Technology)

  • Yang Zhang

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Ling-Fang Lin

    (University of Tennessee)

  • Sang-Wook Cheong

    (Pohang University of Science and Technology
    Rutgers University
    Rutgers University)

  • Kristjan Haule

    (Rutgers University)

  • Mykhaylo Ozerov

    (Florida State University)

  • Turan Birol

    (University of Minnesota)

  • Christopher Homes

    (Brookhaven National Laboratory)

  • Elbio Dagotto

    (University of Tennessee
    Oak Ridge National Laboratory)

  • Janice L. Musfeldt

    (University of Tennessee
    University of Tennessee)

Abstract

The nodal-line semiconductor Mn3Si2Te6 is generating enormous excitment due to the recent discovery of a field-driven insulator-to-metal transition and associated colossal magnetoresistance as well as evidence for a new type of quantum state involving chiral orbital currents. Strikingly, these qualities persist even in the absence of traditional Jahn-Teller distortions and double-exchange mechanisms, raising questions about exactly how and why magnetoresistance occurs along with conjecture as to the likely signatures of loop currents. Here, we measured the infrared response of Mn3Si2Te6 across the magnetic ordering and field-induced insulator-to-metal transitions in order to explore colossal magnetoresistance in the absence of Jahn-Teller and double-exchange interactions. Rather than a traditional metal with screened phonons, the field-driven insulator-to-metal transition leads to a weakly metallic state with localized carriers. Our spectral data are fit by a percolation model, providing evidence for electronic inhomogeneity and phase separation. Modeling also reveals a frequency-dependent threshold field for carriers contributing to colossal magnetoresistance which we discuss in terms of polaron formation, chiral orbital currents, and short-range spin fluctuations. These findings enhance the understanding of insulator-to-metal transitions in new settings and open the door to the design of unconventional colossal magnetoresistant materials.

Suggested Citation

  • Yanhong Gu & Kevin A. Smith & Amartyajyoti Saha & Chandan De & Choong-jae Won & Yang Zhang & Ling-Fang Lin & Sang-Wook Cheong & Kristjan Haule & Mykhaylo Ozerov & Turan Birol & Christopher Homes & Elb, 2024. "Unconventional insulator-to-metal phase transition in Mn3Si2Te6," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-6, December.
  • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52350-1
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52350-1
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-024-52350-1
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: no

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1038/s41467-024-52350-1?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Yu Zhang & Yifei Ni & Hengdi Zhao & Sami Hakani & Feng Ye & Lance DeLong & Itamar Kimchi & Gang Cao, 2022. "Control of chiral orbital currents in a colossal magnetoresistance material," Nature, Nature, vol. 611(7936), pages 467-472, November.
    2. Yu Zhang & Yifei Ni & Pedro Schlottmann & Rahul Nandkishore & Lance E. DeLong & Gang Cao, 2024. "Current-sensitive Hall effect in a chiral-orbital-current state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Junho Seo & Chandan De & Hyunsoo Ha & Ji Eun Lee & Sungyu Park & Joonbum Park & Yurii Skourski & Eun Sang Choi & Bongjae Kim & Gil Young Cho & Han Woong Yeom & Sang-Wook Cheong & Jae Hoon Kim & Bohm-J, 2021. "Colossal angular magnetoresistance in ferrimagnetic nodal-line semiconductors," Nature, Nature, vol. 599(7886), pages 576-581, November.
    4. A. P. Ramirez & R. J. Cava & J. Krajewski, 1997. "Colossal magnetoresistance in Cr-based chalcogenide spinels," Nature, Nature, vol. 386(6621), pages 156-159, March.
    5. Yejun Feng & Yishu Wang & D. M. Silevitch & S. E. Cooper & D. Mandrus & Patrick A. Lee & T. F. Rosenbaum, 2021. "A continuous metal-insulator transition driven by spin correlations," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 12(1), pages 1-7, December.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Resta A. Susilo & Chang Il Kwon & Yoonhan Lee & Nilesh P. Salke & Chandan De & Junho Seo & Beomtak Kang & Russell J. Hemley & Philip Dalladay-Simpson & Zifan Wang & Duck Young Kim & Kyoo Kim & Sang-Wo, 2024. "High-temperature concomitant metal-insulator and spin-reorientation transitions in a compressed nodal-line ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    2. Yu Zhang & Yifei Ni & Pedro Schlottmann & Rahul Nandkishore & Lance E. DeLong & Gang Cao, 2024. "Current-sensitive Hall effect in a chiral-orbital-current state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    3. Saizheng Cao & Chenchao Xu & Hiroshi Fukui & Taishun Manjo & Ying Dong & Ming Shi & Yang Liu & Chao Cao & Yu Song, 2023. "Competing charge-density wave instabilities in the kagome metal ScV6Sn6," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-10, December.
    4. Younsik Kim & Min-Seok Kim & Dongwook Kim & Minjae Kim & Minsoo Kim & Cheng-Maw Cheng & Joonyoung Choi & Saegyeol Jung & Donghui Lu & Jong Hyuk Kim & Soohyun Cho & Dongjoon Song & Dongjin Oh & Li Yu &, 2023. "Kondo interaction in FeTe and its potential role in the magnetic order," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 14(1), pages 1-9, December.
    5. Wenxuan Zhu & Cheng Song & Lei Han & Tingwen Guo & Hua Bai & Feng Pan, 2022. "Van der Waals lattice-induced colossal magnetoresistance in Cr2Ge2Te6 thin flakes," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-7, December.
    6. Kitae Eom & Bongwook Chung & Sehoon Oh & Hua Zhou & Jinsol Seo & Sang Ho Oh & Jinhyuk Jang & Si-Young Choi & Minsu Choi & Ilwan Seo & Yun Sang Lee & Youngmin Kim & Hyungwoo Lee & Jung-Woo Lee & Kyoung, 2024. "Surface triggered stabilization of metastable charge-ordered phase in SrTiO3," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-10, December.
    7. J. Diaz & K. Wang & J. Straquadine & C. Putzke & Qun Yang & Binghai Yan & S. L. Bud’ko & P. C. Canfield & P. J. W. Moll, 2024. "Semi-classical origin of the extreme magnetoresistance in PtSn4," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.
    8. Enyang Men & Deyang Li & Haiyang Zhang & Jingxin Chen & Zhihan Qiao & Long Wei & Zhaosheng Wang & Chuanying Xi & Dongsheng Song & Yuhan Li & Hyoungjeen Jeen & Kai Chen & Hong Zhu & Lin Hao, 2024. "An atomically controlled insulator-to-metal transition in iridate/manganite heterostructures," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    9. Yiwen Zhang & Bo Xie & Yue Yang & Yueshen Wu & Xin Lu & Yuxiong Hu & Yifan Ding & Jiadian He & Peng Dong & Jinghui Wang & Xiang Zhou & Jianpeng Liu & Zhu-Jun Wang & Jun Li, 2024. "Extremely large magnetoresistance in twisted intertwined graphene spirals," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-9, December.

    More about this item

    Statistics

    Access and download statistics

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:15:y:2024:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-024-52350-1. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.nature.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.