Nematic domains and resistivity in an itinerant metamagnet coupled to a lattice

TL;DR

This paper explores how nematic domain formation in Sr$_3$Ru$_2$O$_7$ affects resistivity, using a phenomenological model to explain experimental observations near a quantum critical point.

Contribution

It introduces a phenomenological model linking nematic order and lattice coupling to resistivity, providing qualitative insights into field-dependent resistivity behavior.

Findings

Resistivity correlates with the nematic order parameter.

Nematic domain walls significantly influence resistivity.

The model explains magnetic field dependence of resistivity in Sr$_3$Ru$_2$O$_7$.

Abstract

The nature of the emergent phase near a putative quantum critical point in the bilayer ruthenate Sr$_3$Ru$_2$O$_7$ has been a recent subject of intensive research. It has been suggested that this phase may possess electronic nematic order(ENO). In this work, we investigate the possibility of nematic domain formation in the emergent phase, using a phenomenological model of electrons with ENO and its coupling to lattice degrees of freedom. The resistivity due to the scattering off the domain walls is shown to closely follow the ENO parameter. Our results provide qualitative explanations for the dependence of the resistivity on external magnetic fields in Sr$_3$Ru$_2$O$_7$.