Creating novel quantum phases via the heterostructure engineering

Employing X-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD), angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES), and momentum-resolved density fluctuation (MRDF) theory, the magnetic and electronic properties of ultrathin NdNiO3 (NNO) film in proximity to ferromagnetic metal (FM) La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 (LSMO) layer were investigated. The experimental data reveal that the magnetic coupling between the nickelate film and the manganite layer causes an unusual, novel ferromagnetic (FM) phase in NNO. Moreover, ARPES data proves that the metal-insulator transition in the NNO layer is absent. The experimental data (XMCD and ARPES) with the momentum-resolved density fluctuation calculation (MRDF) directly links the MIT and the magnetic orders in NNO systems. This work demonstrates that proximity layer order can be broadly used to modify physical properties and enrich the phase diagram of RENiO3 (RE = rare-earth element).