Emergent charge order near the doping-induced Mott-insulating quantum phase transition in Sr 3 Ru 2 O 7

Search for novel electronically ordered states of matter emerging near quantum phase transitions is an intriguing frontier of condensed matter physics. In ruthenates, the interplay between Coulomb correlations among the 4 d electronic states and their spin-orbit interactions, lead to complex forms of electronic phenomena. Here we investigate the double layered Sr 3 (Ru 1− x Mn x ) 2 O 7 and its doping-induced quantum phase transition from a metal to an antiferromagnetic Mott insulator. Using spectroscopic imaging with the scanning tunneling microscope, we visualize the evolution of the electronic states in real- and momentum-space. We find a partial-gap at the Fermi energy that develops with doping to form a weak Mott insulating state. Near the quantum phase transition, we discover a spatial electronic reorganization into a commensurate checkerboard charge order. These findings bear a resemblance to the universal charge order in the pseudogap phase of cuprates and demonstrate the ubiquity of charge order that emanates from doped Mott insulators.