C10
The Dirac-Semimetal RuO2: From Topology to Functionality
Summary
The functional semi-metal RuO2 is a binary model oxide whose crystal symmetry induced band structure topology produces a complex Fermi surface composed of Dirac nodal lines (DNL) and a flat band surface state (FBSS). Strong nesting of DNLs is prone to Fermi surface instabilities, a postulated driving force of the recently discovered itinerant collinear antiferromagnetism (AFM), and potentially at the heart of the recently predicted anomalous crystal Hall effect. RuO2 thus presents a unique opportunity to link the fundamental topological properties of a correlated model oxide to its genuine functionality.
Our aim in this project is a meaningful investigation of the interplay of crystalline-, electronic-, magnetic- and transport properties of RuO2. We thus employ a comprehensive approach based on systematic pulsed laser deposition (PLD) epitaxial synthesis in combination with state-of the art micro-spectroscopy (STM, (spin-)ARPES) to elucidate the electronic- and magnetic structure of RuO2, and link these to its macroscopic functionality.
