Electronic reconstruction and interface engineering of emergent spin fluctuations in compressively strained <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"> <mml:mrow> <mml:msub> <mml:mi>La</mml:mi> <mml:mn>3</mml:mn> </mml:msub> <mml:msub>
Motivated by the recent observation of ambient-pressure superconductivity with $T_c \sim 40$ K in La3Ni2O7 on SrLaAlO4(001) (SLAO), we explore the structural and electronic properties as well as the spin-spin correlation function of this bilayer nickelate system by using density functional theory including a Coulomb repulsion term. We find that the compressive strain exerted by this substrate leads to an unconventional occupation of the antibonding Ni $3d_{z^2}$ states around the $Γ$ point, distinct from the superconducting bulk compound under pressure. While pure strain effects rather modestly enhance the dynamical spin susceptibility, investigation of a reconstructed interface composition as observed in transmission electron microscopy uncovers a strong amplification of the spin fluctuations due to Fermi surface nesting of the antibonding Ni $3d_{z^2}$ states near the interface. These results provide insights into the emergence of superconductivity in strained La$_3$Ni$_2$O$_7$, suggest a possible key role of the interface, and highlight fundamental differences from the hydrostatic pressure scenario.
Authors
- P. J. Hirschfeld (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0375-7386)
- J. J. Hamlin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8685-153X)
- Richard G. Hennig (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4933-7686)
- G. R. Stewart (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7251-1684)
- Benjamin Geisler (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0864-2908)
Institutions
- University of Florida (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical review. B./Physical review. B
- Published
- 2026-01-26
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/v4r2-xsnq
- Primary Topic
- Electronic and Structural Properties of Oxides
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00