Direct Observation of Unidirectional Density Wave and Band splitting in a Single-Domain Trilayer Nickelate Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$
Authors:
- Zhengtai LiuZLZhengtai Liu
- Jishan LiuJLJishan Liu
- Xinnuo ZhangXZXinnuo Zhang
- Kun JiangKJKun Jiang
Preprint
Abstract
Unraveling the interplay between density-wave (DW) instabilities and multi-orbital physics is critical for understanding superconductivity in Ruddlesden-Popper nickelates, yet intrinsic electronic features have been persistently obscured by material inhomogeneity and thus the multi-domain averaging effect. Here, we employ micro-focused angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy ($μ$-ARPES) on single-domain Pr$_4$Ni$_3$O$_{10}$ to disentangle the complex hierarchy of intrinsic and back-folded bands, explicitly identifying the electronic states driving the DW phase transition. We provide decisive spectroscopic evidence that the low-energy reconstruction is governed by inter-orbital nesting between the $α$ and $β$ bands. Specifically, we resolve a orbital-dependent gap of $\sim44$ meV on the $α$ pocket, a value quantitatively consistent with prior measurements, unifying previously conflicting experimental reports regarding the locus and magnitude of the DW gap. Furthermore, we reveal strong orbital-selective mass renormalization in the $d_{z^2}$ states and successfully resolve the long-sought intrinsic trilayer $β$-band splitting, establishing a critical lower bound for the outer-layer hopping. These results define a coherent microscopic fingerprint for the trilayer nickelates, identifying the specific nesting channels and correlation effects that underpin the phase diagram.
Keywords
All Related Versions
This publication has 33 references indexed in Scilit:
- Interstitial oxygen order and its competition with superconductivity in La2PrNi2O7+δNature Materials, 2025
- Collapse of density wave and emergence of superconductivity in pressurized-La4Ni3O10 evidenced by ultrafast spectroscopyNature Communications, 2025
- Anisotropic spin stripe domains in bilayer La3Ni2O7Nature Communications, 2025
- Absence of superconductivity and density-wave transition in ambient-pressure tetragonal La4Ni3O10Nature Communications, 2025
- Pressure-enhanced spin-density-wave transition in double-layer nickelate La3Ni2O7−δScience Bulletin, 2025
- Orbital-dependent electron correlation in double-layer nickelate La3Ni2O7Nature Communications, 2024
- Polymorphism in the Ruddlesden–Popper Nickelate La3Ni2O7: Discovery of a Hidden Phase with Distinctive Layer StackingJournal of the American Chemical Society, 2024
- Intertwined density waves in a metallic nickelateNature Communications, 2020
- Fermiology and electron dynamics of trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10Nature Communications, 2017
- Direct observation of competition between superconductivity and charge density wave order in YBa2Cu3O6.67Nature Physics, 2012