Borderline magnetism in Sr4Ru3O10: Impact of dilute La and Ca doping on itinerant ferromagnetism and metamagnetism

TL;DR

This study explores how dilute La and Ca doping in Sr4Ru3O10 affects its magnetic properties, revealing a delicate balance between ferromagnetism and metamagnetism influenced by spin-orbit coupling and electronic structure.

Contribution

It provides new insights into how dilute doping can tune magnetic states and electronic transport in Sr4Ru3O10, highlighting the role of spin-orbit coupling and density of states.

Findings

La doping switches between ferromagnetism and metamagnetism

Ca doping enhances c-axis ferromagnetism and anisotropy

Doping induces dimensional crossover and tunneling magnetoresistance

Abstract

An investigation of La and Ca doped Sr4Ru3O10, featuring a coexistence of interlayer ferromagnetism and intralayer metamagnetism, is presented. La doping readily changes magnetism between ferromagnetism and metamagnetism by tuning the density of states. It also results in different Curie temperatures for the c-axis and the basal plane, highlighting a rare spin-orbit coupling with the crystal field states. In contrast, Ca doping enhances the c-axis ferromagnetism and the magnetic anisotropy. La doping also induces a dimensional crossover in the interlayer transport whereas Ca doping exhibits a tunneling magnetoresistance and an extraordinary T3/2-dependence of the resisitivity. The drastic changes caused by the dilute doping demonstrate a rare borderline magnetism that is delicately linked to the interplay of the density of states and spin-orbit coupling.