Magnetic Excitations in the S=1/2 Alternating Chain Compound (VO) {sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7}

Journal Article · Tue Jul 01 04:00:00 EDT 1997 · Physical Review Letters

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.79.745· OSTI ID:656117

Garrett, A W ^[1]; Nagler, S E; Tennant, D A; Sales, B C; Barnes, T ^[2]; Barnes, T ^[3]

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1. Department of Physics, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida 32611-0448 (United States)
2. Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, Tennessee 37831-6393 (United States)
3. Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee 37996-1501 (United States)

Magnetic excitations in an array of (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} single crystals have been measured using inelastic neutron scattering. Until now, (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} has been thought of as a two-leg antiferromagnetic Heisenberg spin ladder with chains running in the a direction. The present results show unequivocally that (VO){sub 2}P{sub 2}O{sub 7} is best described as an alternating spin chain directed along the crystallographic b direction. In addition to the expected magnon with magnetic zone-center energy gap {Delta}=3.1 meV, a second excitation is observed at an energy just below 2{Delta} . The higher mode may be a triplet two-magnon bound state. {copyright} {ital 1997} {ital The American Physical Society}

• Research Organization: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
• DOE Contract Number: AC05-96OR22464; FG05-86ER45280
• OSTI ID: 656117
• Journal Information: Physical Review Letters, Journal Name: Physical Review Letters Journal Issue: 4 Vol. 79; ISSN 0031-9007; ISSN PRLTAO
• Country of Publication: United States
• Language: English

Related Subjects

36 MATERIALS SCIENCE
66 PHYSICS
ANTIFERROMAGNETIC MATERIALS
CRYSTAL STRUCTURE
DISPERSION RELATIONS
HEISENBERG MODEL
INELASTIC SCATTERING
MAGNONS
NEUTRON DIFFRACTION
PHOSPHATES
VANADIUM OXIDES