Orbital-Selective Spin-Orbit Mott Insulator in Fractional Valence Iridate La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$

Fuente: arXiv
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Autores principales: Wang, Kai, Yang, Jun, Kang, Chaoyang, Wu, Weikang, Zhu, Wenka, Zhao, Jianzhou, Dai, Yaomin, Xu, Bing
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2026
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author Wang, Kai
Yang, Jun
Kang, Chaoyang
Wu, Weikang
Zhu, Wenka
Zhao, Jianzhou
Dai, Yaomin
Xu, Bing
author_facet Wang, Kai
Yang, Jun
Kang, Chaoyang
Wu, Weikang
Zhu, Wenka
Zhao, Jianzhou
Dai, Yaomin
Xu, Bing
contents The combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and Coulomb interactions makes the $5d$ iridates a unique platform for realizing novel correlated electronic states. Here, utilizing infrared spectroscopy, we demonstrate that a robust Mott insulating state persists in the $1/3$-hole self-doped system La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$, evidenced by the collapse of the Drude response and the emergence of sharp excitations across the Mott gap. Our theoretical calculations reveal that the insulating behavior arises from the cooperative interplay of structural distortions, spin-orbit coupling, and Coulomb interactions. Specifically, octahedral distortion and Ir-Ir dimerization split the $t_{2g}$ orbitals, driving the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 1/2$ bands toward half-filling while keeping the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 3/2$ bands away from it. Consequently, electron correlations induce an orbital-selective Mott transition in the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 1/2$ bands, whereas a band-insulating gap develops in the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 3/2$ bands, thereby stabilizing the unconventional insulating state in La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$. These findings provide new insights into the design and understanding of the insulating ground state of spin-orbit-coupled iridates.
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id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_04739
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Orbital-Selective Spin-Orbit Mott Insulator in Fractional Valence Iridate La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$
Wang, Kai
Yang, Jun
Kang, Chaoyang
Wu, Weikang
Zhu, Wenka
Zhao, Jianzhou
Dai, Yaomin
Xu, Bing
Strongly Correlated Electrons
Materials Science
The combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and Coulomb interactions makes the $5d$ iridates a unique platform for realizing novel correlated electronic states. Here, utilizing infrared spectroscopy, we demonstrate that a robust Mott insulating state persists in the $1/3$-hole self-doped system La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$, evidenced by the collapse of the Drude response and the emergence of sharp excitations across the Mott gap. Our theoretical calculations reveal that the insulating behavior arises from the cooperative interplay of structural distortions, spin-orbit coupling, and Coulomb interactions. Specifically, octahedral distortion and Ir-Ir dimerization split the $t_{2g}$ orbitals, driving the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 1/2$ bands toward half-filling while keeping the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 3/2$ bands away from it. Consequently, electron correlations induce an orbital-selective Mott transition in the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 1/2$ bands, whereas a band-insulating gap develops in the $J_{\mathrm{eff}} = 3/2$ bands, thereby stabilizing the unconventional insulating state in La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$. These findings provide new insights into the design and understanding of the insulating ground state of spin-orbit-coupled iridates.
title Orbital-Selective Spin-Orbit Mott Insulator in Fractional Valence Iridate La$_3$Ir$_3$O$_{11}$
topic Strongly Correlated Electrons
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.04739