Photoelectron dispersion in metallic and insulating VO_{2} thin films

Abstract

The underlying mechanism behind the metal-to-insulator transition in VO_{2} is still a topic of intense debate. The two leading theoretical interpretations associate the transition with either electron-lattice or electron-electron correlations. Novel experimental results are required to converge towards one of the two scenarios. Here we report on a temperature-dependent angle-resolved photoelectron study of VO_{2} thin films across the metal-to-insulator transition. The obtained experimental results are compared to density functional theory calculations. We find an overall energy shift and compression of the electronic band structure across the transition while the overall band topology is conserved. The results demonstrate the importance of electron-electron correlations in establishing the insulating state.