Lattice relaxation, electronic screening, and spin and orbital phase diagram of LaTiO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ superlattices

Theoretical investigations of the electronic, magnetic and structural properties of LaTiO3 and YTiO3 have been made. In the framework of GGA and GGA+U scheme we analyzed the effect of the local Coulomb interaction (U) value on the atomic forces acting in the experimental structure. The optimal parameters of the electron-electron on-site interactions as well as the orbital configurations and magnetic properties are determined.

The electronic structure of interfaces between LaAlO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$ is studied using local spin density approximation (LSDA) with intra-atomic Coulomb repulsion (LSDA+U). We find that the nature of the interface metallic states is strongly affected by the type of the structure (sandwich or bilayer) and by the termination surface of LaAlO$_3$. In all structures the atomic relaxation plays a crucial role in the electronic properties of the system. While in sandwiches the str...

In this study, the magnetism and electronic structure of LaTiO$_3$ bilayers along both the ($001$) and ($111$) orientations are calculated using the density functional theory. The band insulator LaScO$_3$ is chosen as the barrier layer and substrate to obtain the isolating LaTiO$_3$ bilayer. For both the ($001$)- and ($111$)-oriented cases, LaTiO$_3$ demonstrates the G-type antiferromagnetism as the ground state, similar to the bulk material. However, the electronic structure...

Using local density approximation (LDA) calculations we predict GdFeO$_3$-like rotation of TiO$_6$ octahedra at the $n$-type interface between LaAlO$_3$ and SrTiO$_3$. The narrowing of the Ti $d$ bandwidth which results means that for very modest values of $U$, LDA$+U$ calculations predict charge and spin ordering at the interface. Recent experimental evidence for magnetic interface ordering may be understood in terms of the close proximity of an antiferromagnetic insulating ...

Several puzzling aspects of interplay of the experimental lattice distortion and the the magnetic properties of four narrow $t_{2g}$-band perovskite oxides (YTiO$_3$, LaTiO$_3$, YVO$_3$, and LaVO$_3$) are clarified using results of first-principles electronic structure calculations. First, we derive parameters of the effective Hubbard-type Hamiltonian for the isolated $t_{2g}$ bands using newly developed downfolding method for the kinetic-energy part and a hybrid approach, ba...

The diverse functionality emerging at oxide interfaces calls for a fundamental understanding of the mechanisms and control parameters of electronic reconstructions. Here, we explore the evolution of electronic phases in (LaAlO3)M/(SrTiO3)N(001) superlattices as a function of strain and confinement of the SrTiO3 quantum well. Density functional theory calculations including a Hubbard U term reveal a charge ordered Ti3+ and Ti4+ state for N=2 with an unanticipated orbital recon...

We have studied the interplay between orbital ordering, Jahn-Teller and GdFeO3-type lattice distortions in perovskite-type transition-metal oxides using model Hartree-Fock calculations. It has been found that the covalency between A-site cations and oxygens causes interaction between the Jahn-Teller and GdFeO3-type distortions. The present calculations explain why the d-type Jahn-Teller distortion and orbital ordering compatible with it are realized in LaMnO3, YVO3 and YTiO3

Using first-principles density functional theory calculations, we investigated the effect of charge doping in a LaNiO$_3$/SrTiO$_3$ superlattice. The detailed analysis based on two different simulation methods for doping clearly shows that the electronic and structural properties change in a systematic way that the orbital polarization ({\it i.e.} relative occupation of two Ni-$e_g$ orbitals) is reduced and the Ni to apical oxygen distance enlarged as the number of doped elec...

Starting from the multiorbital Hubbard model for the t2g-bands of RTiO3 (R= Y, Gd, Sm, and La), where all parameters have been derived from the first-principles calculations, we construct an effective superexchange (SE) spin model, by treating transfer integrals as a perturbation. We consider four approximations for the SE interactions: (i) the canonical crystal-field (CF) theory, where the form of the the occupied t2g-orbitals is dictated by the CF splitting, and three exten...

Density functional band calculations have been performed to study LaNiO$_3$/LaAlO$_3$ superlattices. Motivated by recent experiments reporting the magnetic and metal-insulator phase transition as a function of LaNiO$_3$ layer thickness, we examined the electronic structure, magnetic properties, and orbital occupation depending on the number of LaNiO$_3$ layers. Calculations show that the magnetic phase is stabler than the nonmagnetic for finite and positive $U$ values. The or...