Influence of static Jahn-Teller distortion on the magnetic excitation spectrum of PrO{sub 2}: A synchrotron x-ray and neutron inelastic scattering study

Journal Article · Mon Oct 01 00:00:00 EDT 2007 · Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PHYSREVB.76.134419· OSTI ID:21052702

Webster, C H ^[1]; Helme, L M; Boothroyd, A T ^[2]; McMorrow, D F ^[3]; Wilkins, S B; Detlefs, C ^[4]; Detlefs, B ^[5]; Bewley, R I ^[6]; McKelvy, M J ^[7]

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1. National Physical Laboratory, Queens Road, Teddington, Middlesex TW11 0LW (United Kingdom)
2. Clarendon Laboratory, University of Oxford, Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PU (United Kingdom)
3. London Centre for Nanotechnology and Department of Physics and Astronomy, University College London, London WC1E 6BT (United Kingdom)
4. European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, Boite Postale 220, F-38043 Grenoble Cedex (France)
5. European Commission, JRC, Institute for Transuranium Elements, Postfach 2340, Karlsruhe D-76125 (Germany)
6. ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory, Chilton, Didcot OX11 0QX (United Kingdom)
7. Center for Solid State Science, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona 85287-1704 (United States)

A synchrotron x-ray diffraction study of the crystallographic structure of PrO{sub 2} in the Jahn-Teller distorted phase is reported. The distortion of the oxygen sublattice, which was previously ambiguous, is shown to be a chiral structure in which neighboring oxygen chains have opposite chiralities. A temperature dependent study of the magnetic excitation spectrum, probed by neutron inelastic scattering, is also reported. Changes in the energies and relative intensities of the crystal field transitions provide an insight into the interplay between the static and dynamic Jahn-Teller effects.

• OSTI ID: 21052702
• Journal Information: Physical Review. B, Condensed Matter and Materials Physics, Vol. 76, Issue 13; Other Information: DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.76.134419; (c) 2007 The American Physical Society; Country of input: International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA); ISSN 1098-0121
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS
SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND SUPERFLUIDITY
CHAINS
CHIRALITY
CRYSTAL FIELD
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
CRYSTALLOGRAPHY
EXCITATION
INELASTIC SCATTERING
JAHN-TELLER EFFECT
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
NEUTRONS
OXYGEN
PRASEODYMIUM OXIDES
SPECTRA
SYNCHROTRONS
TEMPERATURE DEPENDENCE
X RADIATION
X-RAY DIFFRACTION