Pair correlations, short-range order, and dispersive excitations in the quasi-kagome quantum magnet volborthite
Författare
Summary, in English
We present spatial and dynamic information on the s = 1/2 distorted kagome antiferromagnet volborthite, Cu3V2O7(OD)(2) center dot 2D(2)O, obtained by polarized and inelastic neutron scattering. The instantaneous structure factor, S(Q), is dominated by nearest-neighbor pair correlations, with short-range order at wave vectors Q(1) = 0.65(3) angstrom(-1) and Q(2) = 1.15(5) angstrom(-1) emerging below 5 K. The excitation spectrum, S(Q,omega), reveals two steep branches dispersing from Q(1) and Q(2), and a flat mode omega(f) = 5.0(2) meV. The results allow us to identify the crossover at T* similar to 1 K in V-51 NMR and specific-heat measurements as the buildup of correlations at Q(1). We compare our data to theoretical models proposed for volborthite, and also demonstrate that the excitation spectrum can be explained by spin-wave-like excitations with anisotropic exchange parameters, as suggested by recent local-density calculations.
Avdelning/ar
Publiceringsår
2011
Språk
Engelska
Publikation/Tidskrift/Serie
Physical Review B (Condensed Matter and Materials Physics)
Volym
84
Issue
17
Dokumenttyp
Artikel i tidskrift
Förlag
American Physical Society
Ämne
- Natural Sciences
- Physical Sciences
Status
Published
ISBN/ISSN/Övrigt
- ISSN: 1098-0121