Photoinduced Phase Transition in Infinite‐Layer Nickelates

Abstract

AbstractThe quantum phase transition caused by regulating the electronic correlation in strongly correlated quantum materials has been a research hotspot in condensed matter science. Herein, a photon‐induced quantum phase transition from the Kondo‐Mott insulating state to the low temperature metallic one accompanying with the magnetoresistance changing from negative to positive in the infinite‐layer NdNiO2 films is reported, where the antiferromagnetic coupling among the Ni1+ localized spins and the Kondo effect are effectively suppressed by manipulating the correlation of Ni‐3d and Nd‐5d electrons under the photoirradiation. Moreover, the critical temperature Tc of the superconducting‐like transition exhibits a dome‐shaped evolution with the maximum up to ≈42 K, and the electrons dominate the transport process proved by the Hall effect measurements. These findings not only make the photoinduction a promising way to control the quantum phase transition by manipulating the electronic correlation in Mott‐like insulators, but also shed some light on the possibility of the superconducting in electron‐doped nickelates.