Magnetism and berry phase manipulation in an emergent structure of perovskite ruthenate by (111) strain engineering

The interplay among symmetry of lattices, electronic correlations, and Berry phase of the Bloch states in solids has led to fascinating quantum phases of matter. A prototypical system is the magnetic Weyl candidate SrRuO3, where designing and creating electronic and topological properties on artificial lattice geometry is highly demanded yet remains elusive. Here, we establish an emergent trigonal structure of SrRuO3 by means of heteroepitaxial strain engineering along the [111] crystallographic axis. Distinctive from bulk, the trigonal SrRuO3 exhibits a peculiar XY-type ferromagnetic ground state, with the coexistence of high-mobility holes likely from linear Weyl bands and low-mobility electrons from normal quadratic bands as carriers. The presence of Weyl nodes are further corroborated by capturing intrinsic anomalous Hall effect, acting as momentum-space sources of Berry curvatures. The experimental observations are consistent with our first-principles calculations, shedding light on the detailed band topology of trigonal SrRuO3 with multiple pairs of Weyl nodes near the Fermi level. Our findings signify the essence of magnetism and Berry phase manipulation via lattice design and pave the way towards unveiling nontrivial correlated topological phenomena.

Automated summary

This research establishes an emergent trigonal structure of SrRuO3 through heteroepitaxial strain engineering along the [111] crystallographic axis. The trigonal SrRuO3 exhibits a peculiar XY-type ferromagnetic ground state and the coexistence of high-mobility holes from linear Weyl bands and low-mobility electrons from normal quadratic bands as carriers. Experimental observations are consistent with first-principles calculations, shedding light on the detailed band topology of trigonal SrRuO3 with multiple pairs of Weyl nodes near the Fermi level. This study signifies the potential of lattice design in manipulating magnetism and Berry phase, and unveils nontrivial correlated topological phenomena.