Electronic structure of superconducting infinite-layer lanthanum nickelates

Abstract

Revealing the momentum-resolved electronic structure of infinite-layer nickelates is essential for understanding this class of unconventional superconductors but has been hindered by the formidable challenges in improving the sample quality. In this work, we report the angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of superconducting La0.8Sr0.2NiO2 films prepared by molecular beam epitaxy and in situ atomic-hydrogen reduction. The measured Fermi topology closely matches theoretical calculations, showing a large Ni dx2 -y2-derived Fermi sheet that evolves from hole-like to electron-like along kz and a three-dimensional (3D) electron pocket centered at the Brillouin zone corner. The Ni dx2 -y2-derived bands show a mass enhancement (m*/mDFT) of 2 to 3, while the 3D electron band shows negligible band renormalization. Moreover, the Ni dx2 -y2-derived states also display a band dispersion anomaly at higher binding energy, reminiscent of the waterfall feature and kinks observed in cuprates.