Dynamics of bi-stripes and a colossal metal-insulator transition in the bi-layer manganite La$_{2-2x}$Sr$_{1+2x}$Mn$_{2}$O$_{7}$ (x~0.59)

TL;DR

This study reveals how static and fluctuating bi-stripe orders in a layered manganite influence its electronic properties, leading to colossal phase transitions and providing insights into correlated electron behavior and potential device applications.

Contribution

It demonstrates the existence of static and fluctuating bi-stripe orders in a manganite and links these to dramatic changes in conductivity and phase transitions.

Findings

Static bi-stripes localize electrons, suppressing conductivity.

Fluctuating bi-stripes coexist with mobile carriers.

Temperature induces colossal changes in electronic phases.

Abstract

In correlated electron materials, electrons often self-organize and form a variety of patterns with potential ordering of charges, spins, and orbitals, which are believed to be closely connected to many novel properties of these materials including superconductivity, metal-insulator transitions, and the CMR effect. How these real-space patterns affect the conductivity and other properties of materials (which are usually described in momentum space) is one of the major challenges of modern condensed matter physics. Moreover, although the presence of static stripes is indisputable, the existence (and potential impacts) of fluctuating stripes in such compounds is a subject of great debate. Here we present the electronic excitations of La$_{2-2x}$Sr$_{1+2x}$Mn$_{2}$O$_{7}$ (x ~ 0.59) probed by angle-resolved photoemission (ARPES), from which we demonstrate that a novel type of ordering, termed bi-stripes, can exhibit either static or fluctuating order as a function of temperature. We found that the static bi-stripe order is especially damaging to electrical conductivity, completely localizing the electrons in the bi-stripe regions, while the fluctuating stripes can coexist with mobile carriers. This physics drives a novel phase transition with colossal conductivity changes as a function of temperature. Our finding suggests that quantum stripes can give rise to electronic properties significantly different from their static counterparts. Inducing transition between them can turn on remarkable electronic phenomena, enriching our understanding of correlated electron systems as well as opening a window for potential applications in electronic devices.