Maurits W. Haverkort

Bio: Maurits W. Haverkort is an academic researcher from Heidelberg University. The author has contributed to research in topics: Ground state & Scattering. The author has an hindex of 43, co-authored 160 publications receiving 6934 citations. Previous affiliations of Maurits W. Haverkort include Max Planck Society & University of Groningen.

Spin State Transition in LaCoO3 Studied Using Soft X-ray Absorption Spectroscopy and Magnetic Circular Dichroism

Abstract: Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism at the Co-L(2,3) edge, we reveal that the spin state transition in LaCoO3 can be well described by a low-spin ground state and a triply degenerate high-spin first excited state From the temperature dependence of the spectral line shapes, we find that LaCoO3 at finite temperatures is an inhomogeneous mixed-spin state system It is crucial that the magnetic circular dichroism signal in the paramagnetic state carries a large orbital momentum This directly shows that the currently accepted low- or intermediate-spin picture is at variance Parameters derived from these spectroscopies fully explain existing magnetic susceptibility, electron spin resonance, and inelastic neutron data

The spin state transition in LaCoO$_{3}$; revising a revision

Abstract: Using soft x-ray absorption spectroscopy and magnetic circular dichroism at the Co-$L_{2,3}$ edge we reveal that the spin state transition in LaCoO$_{3}$ can be well described by a low-spin ground state and a triply-degenerate high-spin first excited state. From the temperature dependence of the spectral lineshapes we find that LaCoO$_{3}$ at finite temperatures is an inhomogeneous mixed-spin-state system. Crucial is that the magnetic circular dichroism signal in the paramagnetic state carries a large orbital momentum. This directly shows that the currently accepted low-/intermediate-spin picture is at variance. Parameters derived from these spectroscopies fully explain existing magnetic susceptibility, electron spin resonance and inelastic neutron data.

Intense paramagnon excitations in a large family of high-temperature superconductors

Abstract: In the copper oxide superconductors, spin fluctuations might be involved in the electronic pairing mechanism. The case for such magnetically mediated superconductivity is now strengthened by the discovery of high-energy magnetic excitations that are not affected by chemical doping levels within several cuprates.

Orbital-Assisted Metal-Insulator Transition in VO2

Abstract: We found direct experimental evidence for an orbital switching in the V $3d$ states across the metal-insulator transition in ${\mathrm{VO}}_{2}$. We have used soft-x-ray absorption spectroscopy at the V ${L}_{2,3}$ edges as a sensitive local probe and have determined quantitatively the orbital polarizations. These results strongly suggest that, in going from the metallic to the insulating state, the orbital occupation changes in a manner that charge fluctuations and effective bandwidths are reduced, that the system becomes more one dimensional and more susceptible to a Peierls-like transition, and that the required massive orbital switching can only be made if the system is close to a Mott insulating regime.

Multiplet ligand-field theory using Wannier orbitals

Abstract: We demonstrate how ab initio cluster calculations including the full Coulomb vertex can be done in the basis of the localized Wannier orbitals which describe the low-energy density functional (local-density approximation) band structure of an infinite crystal, e.g., the transition-metal $3d$ and oxygen $2p$ orbitals. The spatial extent of our $3d$ Wannier orbitals (orthonormalized $N$th-order muffin-tin orbitals) is close to that found for atomic Hartree-Fock orbitals. We define ligand orbitals as those linear combinations of the O $2p$ Wannier orbitals which couple to the $3d$ orbitals for the chosen cluster. The use of ligand orbitals allows for a minimal Hilbert space in multiplet ligand-field theory calculations, thus reducing the computational costs substantially. The result is a fast and simple ab initio theory, which can provide useful information about local properties of correlated insulators. We compare results for NiO, MnO, and SrTiO${}_{3}$ with x-ray absorption, inelastic x-ray scattering, and photoemission experiments. The multiplet ligand-field theory parameters found by our ab initio method agree within $\ensuremath{\sim}10%$ with known experimental values.

I and i

Abstract: There is, I think, something ethereal about i —the square root of minus one. I remember first hearing about it at school. It seemed an odd beast at that time—an intruder hovering on the edge of reality. Usually familiarity dulls this sense of the bizarre, but in the case of i it was the reverse: over the years the sense of its surreal nature intensified. It seemed that it was impossible to write mathematics that described the real world in …

Weyl and Dirac semimetals in three-dimensional solids

Abstract: Weyl and Dirac semimetals are three-dimensional phases of matter with gapless electronic excitations that are protected by topology and symmetry. As three-dimensional analogs of graphene, they have generated much recent interest. Deep connections exist with particle physics models of relativistic chiral fermions, and, despite their gaplessness, to solid-state topological and Chern insulators. Their characteristic electronic properties lead to protected surface states and novel responses to applied electric and magnetic fields. The theoretical foundations of these phases, their proposed realizations in solid-state systems, and recent experiments on candidate materials as well as their relation to other states of matter are reviewed.

Emergent phenomena at oxide interfaces

Abstract: Recent technical advances in the atomic-scale synthesis of oxide heterostructures have provided a fertile new ground for creating novel states at their interfaces. Different symmetry constraints can be used to design structures exhibiting phenomena not found in the bulk constituents. A characteristic feature is the reconstruction of the charge, spin and orbital states at interfaces on the nanometre scale. Examples such as interface superconductivity, magneto-electric coupling, and the quantum Hall effect in oxide heterostructures are representative of the scientific and technological opportunities in this rapidly emerging field.