Unconventional insulator-to-metal phase transition in Mn3Si2Te6

Yanhong Gu, Kevin A. Smith, Amartyajyoti Saha, Chandan De, Choong-jae Won, Yang Zhang, Ling-Fang Lin, Sang-Wook Cheong, Kristjan Haule, Mykhaylo Ozerov, Turan Birol, Christopher Homes, Elbio Dagotto and Janice L. Musfeldt ()
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Yanhong Gu: University of Tennessee
Kevin A. Smith: University of Tennessee
Amartyajyoti Saha: University of Minnesota
Chandan De: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Choong-jae Won: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Yang Zhang: University of Tennessee
Ling-Fang Lin: University of Tennessee
Sang-Wook Cheong: Pohang University of Science and Technology
Kristjan Haule: Rutgers University
Mykhaylo Ozerov: Florida State University
Turan Birol: University of Minnesota
Christopher Homes: Brookhaven National Laboratory
Elbio Dagotto: University of Tennessee
Janice L. Musfeldt: University of Tennessee

Nature Communications, 2024, vol. 15, issue 1, 1-6

Abstract: Abstract The nodal-line semiconductor Mn3Si2Te6 is generating enormous excitment due to the recent discovery of a field-driven insulator-to-metal transition and associated colossal magnetoresistance as well as evidence for a new type of quantum state involving chiral orbital currents. Strikingly, these qualities persist even in the absence of traditional Jahn-Teller distortions and double-exchange mechanisms, raising questions about exactly how and why magnetoresistance occurs along with conjecture as to the likely signatures of loop currents. Here, we measured the infrared response of Mn3Si2Te6 across the magnetic ordering and field-induced insulator-to-metal transitions in order to explore colossal magnetoresistance in the absence of Jahn-Teller and double-exchange interactions. Rather than a traditional metal with screened phonons, the field-driven insulator-to-metal transition leads to a weakly metallic state with localized carriers. Our spectral data are fit by a percolation model, providing evidence for electronic inhomogeneity and phase separation. Modeling also reveals a frequency-dependent threshold field for carriers contributing to colossal magnetoresistance which we discuss in terms of polaron formation, chiral orbital currents, and short-range spin fluctuations. These findings enhance the understanding of insulator-to-metal transitions in new settings and open the door to the design of unconventional colossal magnetoresistant materials.

Date: 2024
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-52350-1

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