Emergence of unconventional magnetic order in strain-engineered RuO2/TiO2 superlattices

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Jeong, Seung Gyo, Lee, Seungjun, Oh, Jin Young, Lin, Bonnie Y. X., Santhosh, Anand, LeBeau, James M., Grutter, Alexander J., Choi, Woo Seok, Low, Tony, Lauter, Valeria, Jalan, Bharat
Format: Preprint
Published: 2026
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author Jeong, Seung Gyo
Lee, Seungjun
Oh, Jin Young
Lin, Bonnie Y. X.
Santhosh, Anand
LeBeau, James M.
Grutter, Alexander J.
Choi, Woo Seok
Low, Tony
Lauter, Valeria
Jalan, Bharat
author_facet Jeong, Seung Gyo
Lee, Seungjun
Oh, Jin Young
Lin, Bonnie Y. X.
Santhosh, Anand
LeBeau, James M.
Grutter, Alexander J.
Choi, Woo Seok
Low, Tony
Lauter, Valeria
Jalan, Bharat
contents The spin ordering in RuO2 remains a highly debated topic, owing to its elusive nature, with reports ranging from a nonmagnetic ground state to signatures of unconventional magnetic order. Here we provide the first unambiguous, and direct evidence of unconventional magnetism in epitaxial, fully strained RuO2/TiO2 superlattices on TiO2 (110) substrate grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. Polarized neutron reflectometry reveals a finite magnetic moment localized within the compressively strained RuO2 layers, consistent with predictions obtained from first-principles calculations. Complementary density functional theory and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy show that epitaxial strain drives the Ru 4d states toward the Fermi level, triggering a Stoner-type instability that stabilizes non-compensated magnetic order. These unique results reveal that RuO2 exhibits unconventional magnetic states under epitaxial strain, which are not accessible in bulk and establish strain engineering as a powerful route to uncover and control magnetic phases in RuO2 and related oxides.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2601_10518
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Emergence of unconventional magnetic order in strain-engineered RuO2/TiO2 superlattices
Jeong, Seung Gyo
Lee, Seungjun
Oh, Jin Young
Lin, Bonnie Y. X.
Santhosh, Anand
LeBeau, James M.
Grutter, Alexander J.
Choi, Woo Seok
Low, Tony
Lauter, Valeria
Jalan, Bharat
Materials Science
The spin ordering in RuO2 remains a highly debated topic, owing to its elusive nature, with reports ranging from a nonmagnetic ground state to signatures of unconventional magnetic order. Here we provide the first unambiguous, and direct evidence of unconventional magnetism in epitaxial, fully strained RuO2/TiO2 superlattices on TiO2 (110) substrate grown by hybrid molecular beam epitaxy. Polarized neutron reflectometry reveals a finite magnetic moment localized within the compressively strained RuO2 layers, consistent with predictions obtained from first-principles calculations. Complementary density functional theory and X-ray photoemission spectroscopy show that epitaxial strain drives the Ru 4d states toward the Fermi level, triggering a Stoner-type instability that stabilizes non-compensated magnetic order. These unique results reveal that RuO2 exhibits unconventional magnetic states under epitaxial strain, which are not accessible in bulk and establish strain engineering as a powerful route to uncover and control magnetic phases in RuO2 and related oxides.
title Emergence of unconventional magnetic order in strain-engineered RuO2/TiO2 superlattices
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.10518