Insight into the spin state at the surface of LaCoO3 revealed by photoemission electron microscopy.

The evolution of the spin transition in LaCoO3 has been investigated with photoemission electron microscopy (PEEM) as a function of temperature. The investigated temperature range spanned from a predominantly low spin configuration (125 K) to the proposed percolation limit for metallization (413 K). The data show that the spin configuration exhibits an inhomogeneous spatial distribution that is very sensitive to the surface preparation method. In the region of the semiconductor-to-metal transition (300 to 450 K), the spatial contrast is continuously reduced, indicating a smooth transition without domain percolation. These observations support a new interpretation of the temperature evolution of the system that is in agreement with current theoretical understanding of the spin transition. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]