High Pressure Driven Spin States in LaCoO3

This proposal is concerned with determining variations in the high pressure structure of LaCoO3 and observing changes within this as the material undergoes some well characterised temperature-driven electronic transitions. By driving LaCoO3 through the well known spin state transitions by pressure we aim to:a) An understanding of the Co-O bond distance and spin states as a function of pressure.b) Determine the variation in the octahedral tilting of the CoO6 octahedra as a function of pressure.c) Derive insight into the structural variation, transition temperatures and pressures at the LS-IS-HS transitions – significantly enhancing knowledge of the phase diagram of this important compound.This information is crucial for understanding the nature of spin-state transitions and related phenomena in RCoO3 cobaltates in general.