Electronic Structure of Mott Insulators Studied by Inelastic X-ray Scattering

• Published in: Science (American Association for the Advancement of Science) Vol. 288; no. 5472; pp. 1811 - 1814
• Main Authors: Hasan, M. Z., Isaacs, E. D., Z.-X. Shen, Miller, L. L., Tsutsui, K., Tohyama, T., Maekawa, S.
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Washington, DC American Society for the Advancement of Science 09.06.2000; American Association for the Advancement of Science; The American Association for the Advancement of Science
• Subjects: Center of gravity; Climate; Condensed matter: electronic structure, electrical, magnetic, and optical properties; Cuprates; Cuprates superconductors (high tc and insulating parent compounds); Electron density of states and band structure of crystalline solids; Electron states; Electronic structure; Electrons; Energy; Exact sciences and technology; High-Tc compounds; Insulating materials; Insulation (Heat); Materials research; Molecular excitation; Nanostructures; Other inorganic compounds; Photons; Physics; Properties of type I and type II superconductors; Spectral bands; Spectroscopy; Superconductivity; Thermal insulation; Transport properties (electric and thermal conductivity, thermoelectric effects, etc.); X-ray spectroscopy; X-rays; Inorganic compounds; Transition element compounds; Insulating materials; Hubbard model; Calcium compounds; Mott transition; Experimental study; Cuprates; X-ray scattering; Electronic structure; Oxychlorides; Inelastic scattering; High-Tc superconductors; Copper compounds; Quaternary compounds
• ISSN: 0036-8075; 1095-9203
• DOI: 10.1126/science.288.5472.1811

The electronic structure of Mott insulators continues to be a major unsolved problem in physics despite more than 50 years of research. Well-developed momentum-resolved spectroscopies such as photoemission or neutron scattering cannot probe the full Mott gap. High-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering revealed dispersive charge excitations across the Mott gap in a high-critical temperature parent cuprate (Ca2CuO 2Cl 2), shedding light on the anisotropy of the Mott gap. These charge excitations across the Mott gap can be described within the framework of the Hubbard model.