Multiorbital Anisotropy and Magnetic Excitations in Trilayer Nickelate Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$
Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Rare-earth substitution strongly modifies the structure, metallicity, and superconducting behavior of Ruddlesden-Popper (RP) nickelates, but its impact on their magnetic interactions remains unclear. Here, we combine x-ray absorption spectroscopy (XAS) and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to resolve the multiorbital electronic structure and magnetic excitations of Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$. The absence of an overlapping rare-earth resonance provides direct access to the Ni $L_3$ edge, while polarization-dependent measurements at the Ni $L$- and O $K$-edges resolve distinct planar and out-of-plane Ni-O hybridization channels. Momentum-resolved RIXS reveals dispersive magnetic excitations that soften toward the incommensurate spin-density-wave wave vector. An effective spin-wave analysis yields a sizable intra-trilayer exchange coupling, comparable to the leading in-plane interactions and robust against rare-earth substitution. Our results identify the multilayer architecture, rather than rare-earth substitution alone, as a key control knob of the magnetic interactions in these materials.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
Awards: G1229526393, G1286251239, G1313983767, G1538770391, G17040919, G171842289, G1847291448, G2371548206, G241279073, G2917895714, G303061748, G357145406, G473123490, G473396326, G495301720, G498139845, G5570207115, G5765906131, G601061201, G6017181652, G618388848, G6550344761, G6965541988, G7283024673, G7463374569, G7619220232, G8382000481, G8570346810, G911061179
OpenAlex ID: W7220964668