Effect of orbital rotation and mixing on the optical properties of orthorhombic RMnO3 (R=La, Pr, Nd, Gd, and Tb)

M. W. Kim, S. J. Moon, J. H. Jung, Jaejun Yu, Sachin Parashar, P. Murugavel, J. H. Lee, T. W. Noh

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Abstract

We investigated the ab-plane absorption spectra of RMnO3 (R=La, Pr, Nd, Gd, and Tb) thin films. As the ionic radius of the R ion decreases, we observed a drastic suppression of the 2 eV peak, i.e., the intersite optical transition between spin- and orbital-aligned states across the Mott gap. We found that, in addition to orbital rotation, orbital mixing in the orbital-ordered state should play an important role in the suppression of 2 eV peak. We also found that the spectral weight of 2 eV peak is proportional to the A-type antiferromagnetic ordering temperature, which suggests that the magnetic interaction should be sensitively coupled to the orbital degree of freedom.

Original languageEnglish
Article number247205
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume96
Issue number24
DOIs
StatePublished - 2006

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