Elastoresistivity as a probe of electronic nematicity
| Date/Time: | Thursday, 08 Dec 2016 from 4:10 pm to 5:00 pm |
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| Location: | Physics 18/19 |
| Phone: | 515-294-7377 |
| Channel: | College of Liberal Arts and Sciences |
| Actions: | Download iCal/vCal | Email Reminder |
In recent years, anisotropic electronic phases have been discovered in a variety of strongly correlated quantum materials. Borrowing language from the field of soft condensed matter physics, such phases are referred to as electronic nematic phases when they are driven by electron correlations and break a discrete rotational symmetry of the crystal lattice without further breaking translational symmetry. In this talk I'll outline a new technique that we have developed based on elastoresistance measurements, which probes an associated quantity, the nematic susceptibility. Measurements of this quantity directly reveal the presence of an electronic nematic phase transition in underdoped Fe-based superconductors, and an associated quantum phase transition near optimal doping (i.e. the doping that yields the maximum critical temperature of the superconductor). I'll explain the possible significance of this observation. I'll also emphasize recent improvements in measurement methods which permit, for example, observation of non-linear elastoresistance effects. I'll also discuss the closely related case of ferroquadrupolar order in 4f intermetallic systems.