Pushing Spin-orbit Mott Insulator to Metallic State (IMAGE)
Caption
Images obtained through scanning tunneling spectroscopy show the transformation of a compound of strontium, iridium and oxygen -- part of a mysterious class of materials known as spin-orbit Mott insulators. By introducing charge carriers within the compound by replacing 40 percent of the iridium ions with ruthenium, researchers from Boston College were able to reveal the microscopic mechanisms that transform these insulators into a metallic state. The images reveal ruthenium effectively created features within the compound that resembled minute metallic puddles. As the amount of additional ruthenium was increased, the puddles 'percolate,' coalescing to form a metal across which charges freely flow.
Credit
<em>Nature Communications</em>
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