Possible coexistence of local itinerancy and global localization in a quasi-one-dimensional conductor.
In the chain compound PrBa2Cu4O8 localization appears simultaneously with a dimensional crossover in the electronic ground state when the scattering rate in the chains exceeds the hopping rate between the chains. Here we report the discovery of a large, transverse magnetoresistance in PrBa2Cu4O8 in the localized regime. This result suggests a novel form of localization whereby electrons retain their metallic (quasi-one-dimensional) character over a microscopic length scale despite the fact that, macroscopically, they exhibit localized (one-dimensional) behavior.
Narduzzo
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H.H. Wills Physics Laboratory, University of Bristol, Tyndall Avenue, BS8 1TL, United Kingdom.
Enayati-Rad
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Horii
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Hussey
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