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Electronic Layer Decoupling Driven by Density-Wave Order in La 4⁢ Ni 3 ⁢O 10

Guan, Ziqiang [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000210976766)·TenHuisen, Sophia F. R. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000243797035)·Tepie, M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000832522328)·Zhao, Yifeng [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000346323393)·Day-Roberts, Ezra [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000335804028)·LaBollita, Harrison [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000266998577)·Young, Alexander M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000068618462)·Cui, Xiaomeng [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000228242154)·Chen, Xinglong [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000322837293)·Glerean, Filippo [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000324996386)·Guia, Carl Audric [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000972581637)·Dean, Mark P. M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000151393543)·Kim, Philip [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000282550086)·Mitchell, J. F. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000284166424)·Botana, Antia S. [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000159733039)·Homes, Christopher C. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:000000017087756X)·Mitrano, Matteo [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000201020391)
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Abstract

We probe the density-wave transition of the trilayer nickelate La 4⁢ Ni 3 ⁢O 10 with polarization-resolved infrared spectroscopy. The low-energy electrodynamics is strongly anisotropic, with metallic in-plane and insulating out-of-plane character. In the ordered phase, the anisotropy grows more than an order of magnitude as the out-of-plane conductivity is sharply suppressed. We interpret this enhancement as an effective electronic decoupling of the Ni-O layers driven by a spin-density-wave-induced redistribution of Ni−𝑑 𝑧 2 occupation within the trilayers. This electronic response is accompanied by clearly shifting and splitting out-of-plane phonons, compatible with a density-wave instability of electronic origin.

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75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITYCharge density wavesCharge orderDensity functional theoryFourier transform infrared spectroscopyNickelatesOptical conductivitySpin density wavesStrongly correlated systemsTerahertz spectroscopy

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Guan, Ziqiang [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000210976766), TenHuisen, Sophia F. R. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000243797035), Tepie, M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000832522328), Zhao, Yifeng [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000346323393), Day-Roberts, Ezra [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000335804028), LaBollita, Harrison [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000266998577), Young, Alexander M. [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000068618462), Cui, Xiaomeng [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000228242154), Chen, Xinglong [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000322837293), Glerean, Filippo [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States); Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000324996386), Guia, Carl Audric [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0009000972581637), Dean, Mark P. M. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States)] (ORCID:0000000151393543), Kim, Philip [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000282550086), Mitchell, J. F. [Argonne National Laboratory (ANL), Lemont, IL (United States)] (ORCID:0000000284166424), Botana, Antia S. [Arizona State Univ., Tempe, AZ (United States)] (ORCID:0000000159733039), Homes, Christopher C. [Brookhaven National Laboratory (BNL), Upton, NY (United States). National Synchrotron Light Source II (NSLS-II)] (ORCID:000000017087756X), Mitrano, Matteo [Harvard Univ., Cambridge, MA (United States)] (ORCID:0000000201020391). 2026-05-26. Electronic Layer Decoupling Driven by Density-Wave Order in La 4⁢ Ni 3 ⁢O 10. https://doi.org/10.1103/qgl1-zh9f

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