Martensitic laminate geometry controls electronic phase transitions in a Mott insulator

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Shao, Ziming, Gregory, Benjamin, Sarker, Suchismita, Ruff, Jacob, Schuller, Ivan K., Kalcheim, Yoav, Singer, Andrej
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Shao, Ziming
Gregory, Benjamin
Sarker, Suchismita
Ruff, Jacob
Schuller, Ivan K.
Kalcheim, Yoav
Singer, Andrej
author_facet Shao, Ziming
Gregory, Benjamin
Sarker, Suchismita
Ruff, Jacob
Schuller, Ivan K.
Kalcheim, Yoav
Singer, Andrej
contents Symmetry-lowering structural phase transitions result in multiple degenerate structures whose coexistence is determined by macroscopic strain compatibility. In quantum materials, these structural transformations often couple to electronic degrees of freedom, yet how the structural arrangements influence electronic phase transitions remains poorly understood. By analyzing hundreds of diffraction peaks from X-ray reciprocal space mapping, we determine the lattice basis vectors and mutual orientations of all coexisting phases in epitaxial V2O3 thin films after a symmetry-lowering transformation coincident with a metal-insulator transition. We identify the orientations of interfaces between all coexisting structures using the theory of martensitic phase transformations and find that the low temperature structure comprises finely tuned layered mixtures of alternating twin variants, akin to metal alloys. By comparing films grown on various substrate orientations, we show that the metal-insulator transition temperature increases monotonically with the degree to which these layered mixtures satisfy macroscopic strain compatibility imposed by the substrate.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_18268
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Martensitic laminate geometry controls electronic phase transitions in a Mott insulator
Shao, Ziming
Gregory, Benjamin
Sarker, Suchismita
Ruff, Jacob
Schuller, Ivan K.
Kalcheim, Yoav
Singer, Andrej
Materials Science
Symmetry-lowering structural phase transitions result in multiple degenerate structures whose coexistence is determined by macroscopic strain compatibility. In quantum materials, these structural transformations often couple to electronic degrees of freedom, yet how the structural arrangements influence electronic phase transitions remains poorly understood. By analyzing hundreds of diffraction peaks from X-ray reciprocal space mapping, we determine the lattice basis vectors and mutual orientations of all coexisting phases in epitaxial V2O3 thin films after a symmetry-lowering transformation coincident with a metal-insulator transition. We identify the orientations of interfaces between all coexisting structures using the theory of martensitic phase transformations and find that the low temperature structure comprises finely tuned layered mixtures of alternating twin variants, akin to metal alloys. By comparing films grown on various substrate orientations, we show that the metal-insulator transition temperature increases monotonically with the degree to which these layered mixtures satisfy macroscopic strain compatibility imposed by the substrate.
title Martensitic laminate geometry controls electronic phase transitions in a Mott insulator
topic Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.18268