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Univ Zurich, Phys Inst, Zurich, Switzerland..
PSI Ctr Neutron & Muon Sci, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland..
PSI Ctr Neutron & Muon Sci, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland..
Oak Ridge Natl Lab, Neutron Scattering Div, Oak Ridge, TN USA..
Univ Zurich, Phys Inst, Zurich, Switzerland..
PSI Ctr Neutron & Muon Sci, CH-5232 Villigen, Switzerland.;Stockholm Univ, Dept Chem, Stockholm, Sweden..
KTH Royal Inst Technol, Dept Appl Phys, Stockholm, Sweden..
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy.
Chalmers Univ Technol, Dept Phys, Gothenburg, Sweden..
Comprehens Res Org Sci & Soc, Neutron Sci & Technol Ctr, Tokai, Japan..
Comprehens Res Org Sci & Soc, Neutron Sci & Technol Ctr, Tokai, Japan.;High Energy Accelerator Res Org, Inst Mat Struct Sci, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan..
Max Planck Inst Solid State Res, Stuttgart, Germany..
Max Planck Inst Solid State Res, Stuttgart, Germany..
Comprehens Res Org Sci & Soc, Neutron Sci & Technol Ctr, Tokai, Japan..
Univ Zurich, Phys Inst, Zurich, Switzerland..
KTH Royal Inst Technol, Dept Appl Phys, Stockholm, Sweden..
Uppsala University, Disciplinary Domain of Science and Technology, Physics, Department of Physics and Astronomy, Materials Theory. Uppsala Univ, Wallenberg Initiat Mat Sci Sustainabil, Uppsala, Sweden..
KTH Royal Inst Technol, Dept Appl Phys, Stockholm, Sweden..
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2026 (English) In: Nature Communications, E-ISSN 2041-1723, Vol. 17, article id 2112Article in journal (Refereed) Published
Abstract [en] A major challenge in condensed matter physics is integrating topological phenomena with correlated electron physics to leverage both types of states for next-generation quantum devices. Metal-insulator transitions are central to bridging these two domains while simultaneously serving as on-off switches for electronic states. Here, we demonstrate how the prototypical material of K2 Cr8 O16 undergoes a ferromagnetic metal-insulator transition accompanied by a change in band topology. Through inelastic x-ray and neutron scattering experiments combined with first-principles theoretical calculations, we show that this transition is not driven by a Peierls mechanism, given the lack of phonon softening. Instead, we establish the transition as a topological metal-insulator transition within the ferromagnetic phase with potential axionic properties, where electron correlations play a key role in stabilizing the insulating state. These results reveal how a metal-insulator transition provides a pathway through which magnetism, topology, and electronic correlations interact.
Place, publisher, year, edition, pages
Springer Nature, 2026
National Category
Condensed Matter Physics
Identifiers urn:nbn:se:uu:diva-582459 (URN) 10.1038/s41467-026-70042-w (DOI) 001705254300002 () 41760618 (PubMedID) 2-s2.0-105031613525 (Scopus ID)
Funder Swedish Research Council, 2022-06217Swedish Research Council, 2021-06157Swedish Research Council, 2022-03936Swedish Research Council, 2025-08127Swedish Foundation for Strategic ResearchCarl Tryggers foundation , CTS-22:2374Foundation Blanceflor Boncompagni Ludovisi, née BildtKnut and Alice Wallenberg Foundation, 2021.0150EU, European Research Council, FASTCORR, project 854843Wallenberg Initiative Materials Science for Sustainability (WISE)eSSENCE - An eScience CollaborationStandUp
2026-03-192026-03-192026-03-19 Bibliographically approved