Fermiology and electron dynamics of trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10

Abstract

Layered nickelates have the potential for exotic physics similar to high T C superconducting cuprates as they have similar crystal structures and these transition metals are neighbors in the periodic table. Here we present an angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) study of the trilayer nickelate La4Ni3O10 revealing its electronic structure and correlations, finding strong resemblances to the cuprates as well as a few key differences. We find a large hole Fermi surface that closely resembles the Fermi surface of optimally hole-doped cuprates, including its d-x2-y2 dx2 - y2 orbital character, hole filling level, and strength of electronic correlations. However, in contrast to cuprates, La4Ni3O10 has no pseudogap in the dx2-y2 dx2 - y2 band, while it has an extra band of principally d3z2-r2 d3 z2 - r2 orbital character, which presents a low temperature energy gap. These aspects drive the nickelate physics, with the differences from the cuprate electronic structure potentially shedding light on the origin of superconductivity in the cuprates.