Spin transition in LaCoO3 investigated by resonant soft X-ray emission spectroscopy

The spin transition in LaCoO3 is investigated by temperature-dependent resonant soft X-ray emission spectroscopy near the Co 2p absorption edges. This element-specific technique is more bulk sensitive with respect to the temperature induced spin-state of the Co3+ ions in LaCoO3 than other high-energy spectroscopic methods. The spin transition is interpreted and discussed with ab-initio density-functional theory within the fixed-spin moment method, which is found to yield consistent spectral functions to the experimental data. The spectral changes for LaCoO3 as a function of temperature suggest a change in spin-state as the temperature is raised from 85 to 300 K while the system remains in the same spin state as the temperature is further increased to 510 K.