Hidden Orbital Liquid State Within Ferromagnetically Ordered Metallic SrRuO3

TL;DR

This paper reports the discovery of an orbital liquid state coexisting with ferromagnetic order in SrRuO3, evidenced by anomalies in electrical and magnetic properties, likely driven by weak spin-orbit coupling.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence for an orbital liquid state within a ferromagnetic metal, challenging conventional orbital order assumptions.

Findings

Anomalies in resistivity and magnetic susceptibility within ferromagnetic phase

Absence of Jahn-Teller distortion rules out conventional orbital order

Weak spin-orbit coupling may underpin the observed orbital liquid state

Abstract

We have experimentally found related anomalies in electrical resistivity, dc and ac magnetic susceptibility, appearing deeply within ferromagnetically ordered state in SrRuO3. Lack of Jahn-Teller distortion in this regime rules out conventional orbital order, forcing one to describe these in terms of an orbital liquid ground state coexisting with ferromagnetic spin order. We suggest that weak spin-orbit coupling in such an unusual state underpins the observed anomalies.