Kuntscher, ChristineRabia, KaneezForthaus, M.K.Abd-Elmeguid, M. M.Rivadulla Fernández, José FranciscoKato, Y.Batista, Cristian D.2018-07-162018-07-162012Christine Kuntscher, Kaneez Rabia, M. K. Forthaus, M. M. Abd-Elmeguid, F. Rivadulla, Y. Kato, and C. D. Batista Phys. Rev. B 86, 020405(R) (2012). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.86.0204052469-9950http://hdl.handle.net/10347/17033A2+V2O4 spinels provide a unique opportunity for studying the evolution of the charge gap of Mott insulators that approach the itinerant electron limit under the application of external pressure. Here we report high-pressure resistivity and optical measurements in ZnV2O4 that provide unambiguous evidence of an unusual nonmonotonic behavior of the charge gap, , as a function of pressure P. These unexpected results suggest that ZnV2O4 undergoes a crossover from a Mott insulator with a charge gap dominated by the on-site Coulomb repulsion U, to a second type of insulator in the high pressure regime. Our Monte Carlo simulations of the three-band Hubbard model relevant for ZnV2O4 reproduce the nonmonotonic behavior of (P) and provide a partial understanding of this exotic phenomenoneng©2012 American Physical Societyjournal article10.1103/PhysRevB.86.0204052469-9969open access