title: Real-space investigation of structural changes at the metal-insulator transition in VO2.
abstract: Synchrotron x-ray total scattering studies of structural changes in rutile VO2 at the metal-insulator transition temperature of 340 K reveal that monoclinic and tetragonal phases of VO2 coexist in equilibrium, as expected for a first-order phase transition. No evidence for any distinct intermediate phase is seen. Unbiased local structure studies of the changes in V-V distances through the phase transition, using reverse Monte Carlo methods, support the idea of phase coexistence and point to the high degree of correlation in the dimerized low-temperature structure. No evidence for short-range V-V correlations that would be suggestive of local dimers is found in the metallic phase.
authors.affiliation: School of Physical Sciences, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent CT2 7NH, United Kingdom. s.a.corr@kent.ac.uk
authors.forename: Serena A
authors.initials: SA
authors.lastname: Corr
authors.forename: Daniel P
authors.initials: DP
authors.lastname: Shoemaker
authors.forename: Brent C
authors.initials: BC
authors.lastname: Melot
authors.forename: Ram
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Seshadri