Competing spin-fluctuations in Sr$_2$RuO$_4$ and their tuning through epitaxial strain

TL;DR

This paper investigates how epitaxial strain influences the magnetic instabilities in Sr2RuO4, revealing the tunability of magnetic phases and potential implications for superconductivity through first-principles calculations.

Contribution

It provides a first-principles analysis of how epitaxial strain affects magnetic instabilities and phases in Sr2RuO4, offering insights into magnetic tuning and superconducting possibilities.

Findings

Epitaxial strain alters the magnetic energy landscape.

Balance between ferromagnetic and spin-density-wave instabilities can be controlled.

Strain can induce new magnetic and superconducting phases.

Abstract

In this study, we report the magnetic energy landscape of Sr2RuO4 employing the generalized Bloch approach within density functional theory. We identify the two dominant magnetic instabilities, ferromagnetic and spin-density-wave, together with other predominant instabilities. We show that epitaxial strain can change the overall magnetic tendency of the system, and tune the relative weight of the various magnetic instabilities in the system. Especially, the balance between spin-density wave and ferromagnetic instabilities can be controlled by the strain, and, eventually can lead to the new magnetic phases as well as superconducting phases with possibly altered pairing channels. Our findings are compared with previous theoretical models and experimental reports for the various magnetic features of the system and offer a first-principles explanation to them.