The electronic structure of colossal magnetoresistant manganites

Sanne de Jong - March 03 2008

Abstract


In contemporary condensed matter physics, some of the most studied
problems (high TC superconductivity!) involve complex, correlated
electron systems. A benchmark system involving such 'correlated physics'
is the family of perovskite manganites. The interplay between a large
number of electronic degrees of freedom and comparable energy scales in
these systems yield a complicated (magnetic) phase diagram as a function
of hole doping. One of the most intriguing and to date illusive
phenomena displayed by the manganites is the colossal magnetoresistant
(CMR) effect, where, as a function of magnetic field and temperature,
huge changes in electrical conductivity appear.
In our group we study the manganites both in real space, by means of
scanning tunneling microscopy spectroscopy, and k-space, using angle
resolved photoemission (ARPES). Our main goal is to unravel the
electronic mechanism behind the CMR effect. In my talk I will mainly
focus on the 'ARPES-side' of our story.