KO₂: realization of orbital ordering in a p-orbital system

Abstract

KO₂ is a molecular solid consisting of oxygen dimers. K present in the lattice donates an electron which goes on to occupy the O p levels. As the basic electronic structure is similar to that of an oxygen molecule, except for broadening due to solid state effects, KO₂ represents the realization of the doping of oxygen molecules arranged in a lattice. These considerations alone result in magnetism with high ordering temperatures as our calculations reveal. However, we find that the high temperature structure is unstable to an orbital ordering (OO) transition. The microscopic considerations driving the OO transition, however, are electrostatic interactions instead of the often encountered superexchange driven ordering within the Kugel-Khomskii model often used to describe the OO. This OO transition is also found to preclude any possibility of high magnetic ordering temperatures, which otherwise seemed possible.