Electron-lattice interactions in the perovskite LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3 characterized by optical spectroscopy and LDA+U calculations

Journal article, 2009

We use resonance Raman scattering (incident photon energies between 1.8 and 4.13 eV), LDA+U calculations, spectroscopic ellipsometry, and oblique IR reflectivity to characterize the strong electron-phonon interactions in the disordered perovskite LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3. When the photon energy coincides with a Cr to Fe Mott-Hubbard transfer gap around 2.4 eV the electron-phonon interaction is manifested by a Franck-Condon effect with exceptional first- and higher order scattering of a local oxygen breathing mode. At higher incident energies we observe a superposition of Franck-Condon scattering and Fröhlich interaction induced infrared active longitudinal optical two-phonon scattering activated mainly by O to Fe charge transfer. Our results establish LaFe0.5Cr0.5O3 as a model compound for research on electron-phonon interactions in strongly correlated complex systems and show that Franck-Condon scattering in complex solids is not limited to Jahn-Teller active compounds.