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The magnon dispersion of ferromagnetic SrRuO_{3} was studied by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on single crystals as a function of temperature. Even at low temperature the magnon modes exhibit substantial broadening pointing to strong interaction with charge carriers. We find an anomalous temperature dependence of both the magnon gap and the magnon stiffness, which soften upon cooling in the ferromagnetic phase. Both effects trace the temperature dependence of the anomalous Hall effect and can be attributed to the impact of Weyl points, which results in the same relative renormalization in the spin stiffness and magnon gap.

Triplet pairing in Sr_{2}RuO_{4} was initially suggested based on the hypothesis of strong ferromagnetic spin fluctuations. Using polarized inelastic neutron scattering, we accurately determine the full spectrum of spin fluctuations in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. Besides the well-studied incommensurate magnetic fluctuations, we do find a sizable quasiferromagnetic signal, quantitatively consistent with all macroscopic and microscopic probes. We use this result to address the possibility of magnetically driven triplet superconductivity in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}. We conclude that, even though the quasiferromagnetic signal is stronger and sharper than previously anticipated, spin fluctuations alone are not enough to generate a triplet state strengthening the need for additional interactions or an alternative pairing scenario.

The low energy magnetic excitations spectra of the pristine and doped quasi-one-dimensional spin chains cuprates $\mathrm{SrCu}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ have been investigated by inelastic neutron scattering. The momentum-integrated magnetic dynamical structure factor yields a constant integrated intensity with regard to energy in the pure compound, while it shows a strong decay, at low energies, in the compounds doped with nonmagnetic impurities, namely, $\mathrm{SrC}{\mathrm{u}}_{0.99}{\mathrm{M}}_{0.01}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ (with $M=\mathrm{Zn}$ or Mg) and $\mathrm{S}{\mathrm{r}}_{0.99}\mathrm{L}{\mathrm{a}}_{0.01}\mathrm{Cu}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ ($\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{u}}^{+}$ carrying $S=0$ created within the chains). These results evidence the opening of a spin pseudogap in the two-spinon continuum of $\mathrm{SrCu}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ upon doping, stemming from disruptions of the spin chains by quantum impurities.

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments on Sr_{2}RuO_{4} determine the spectral weight of the nesting induced magnetic fluctuations across the superconducting transition. There is no observable change at the superconducting transition down to an energy of ∼0.35 meV, which is well below the 2Δ values reported in several tunneling experiments. At this and higher energies magnetic fluctuations clearly persist in the superconducting state. Only at energies below ∼0.3 meV can evidence for partial suppression of spectral weight in the superconducting state be observed. This strongly suggests that the one-dimensional bands with the associated nesting fluctuations do not form the active, highly gapped bands in the superconducting pairing in Sr_{2}RuO_{4}.

The mechanism of Cooper pair formation in iron-based superconductors remains a controversial topic. The main question is whether spin or orbital fluctuations are responsible for the pairing mechanism. To solve this problem, a crucial clue can be obtained by examining the remarkable enhancement of magnetic neutron scattering signals appearing in a superconducting phase. The enhancement is called spin resonance for a spin fluctuation model, in which their energy is restricted below twice the superconducting gap value (2Ds), whereas larger energies are possible in other models such as an orbital fluctuation model. Here we report the doping dependence of low-energy magnetic excitation spectra in Ba1-xKxFe2As2 for 0.5, Comment: 20 pages, 8 figures

In this paper, we first give a concise overview of recent experimental and theoretical work dealing with “electronic liquid-crystal states” which spontaneously break different symmetries of the CuO2 layers of high-T c cuprates, with an emphasis on evidence in the spin excitation spectrum. Then we describe the importance of using twin-free samples to look for evidence for fourfold symmetry breaking in the spectrum and explain the preparation procedure to obtain such samples. We present inelastic neutron scattering results for moderately underdoped YBa2Cu3O6.6(T c = 61 K) and nearly optimally doped YBa2Cu3O6.85(T c = 89 K). In YBa2Cu3O6.6, the dispersion topology changes when heating above T c from an hourglass shape with constricted, commensurate resonance peak to a “Y”-shape without resonance anomaly. This change, and the fact that the low-energy signal above T c can be described by an incommensurate, quasi-one-dimensional distribution, indicates a competition of superconductivity with an electronic liquid-crystal state. We then show a striking analogy between the difference signal I(5 K) − I(70 K) and the downward dispersing resonance mode in YBa2Cu3O6.85. We therefore argue that a resonance mode only emerges below T c, irrespective of the doping level. We finally discuss the implications of our results for the different scenarios invoked to explain the electronic liquid-crystal state in cuprates.

A way to address the problem of phonons in quasicrystals (QCs) is to compare their dynamical response with that of approximant crystalline structures. Although the Zn2Mg Laves phase is not a periodic approximant of a QC phase, its structure is a periodic packing of Friauf polyhedra which are basic units involved in the construction of larger icosahedral atomic clusters found in Frank–Kasper type quasicrystals. We report on the experimental study of the lattice dynamics of the Zn2Mg hexagonal phase using inelastic neutron scattering with a particular attention devoted to the behavior of transverse acoustic (TA) modes. For TA modes propagating along the (T) direction, polarized along the c axis, there is a strong bending of the dispersion curve. Whereas the broadening rate is rather slow, going like q2, a strong coupling of the acoustic mode with an higher energy optical mode takes place. For TA modes propagating along the (Δ) direction, polarized in the hexagonal plane, the dispersion relation reaches much higher energy: the broadening rate is however steeper, going like q4, most likely due to a mixing of several excitations in the spectral response. In any case, the width of acoustic and optical excitations is found much smaller than in quasicrystals.

Inelastic neutron scattering is a powerful technique that can measure magnetic correlations in a large momentum and energy range. In strongly correlated electronic systems, where spin, orbital, lattice and charge degrees of freedom are entangled, it is currently used to study the magnetic properties and shed light on their role in the appearance of the exotic electronic properties, such as unconventional superconductivity. In this article, we focus on the observation by inelastic neutron scattering technique of unconventional spin triplet collective modes in the superconducting state of high temperature superconducting cuprates and its interplay with anomalies in the charge excitation spectrum. The triplet spin mode is interpreted as a spin exciton , within a spin band model. Alternative scenarii based on localized or dual (itinerant localized) models are also mentioned. To cite this article: Y. Sidis et al., C. R. Physique 8 (2007).

We present a comprehensive study on ${\mathrm{PrCaFeO}}_{4}$ using macroscopic methods, neutron and x-ray diffraction, as well as inelastic neutron scattering. One polycrystalline and two single-crystal samples were investigated exhibiting structural phase transitions from a high-temperature tetragonal phase to an intermediate orthorhombic phase (space group $Bmeb$) at $510{\phantom{\rule{0.16em}{0ex}}}^{\ensuremath{\circ}}\mathrm{C}$ (783 K). At approximately 240 K a second structural phase transition takes place into the space group $Pccn$ where the tilt axis of the ${\mathrm{FeO}}_{6}$ octahedra changes from the [100] to the $\ensuremath{\langle}110\ensuremath{\rangle}$ directions. Due to strong diffuse scattering at high temperatures neutron powder diffraction can only safely state that ${T}_{N}$ is above 330 K. ${\mathrm{PrCaFeO}}_{4}$ exhibits a magnetic spin-flop phase transition where the magnetic moments turn from the $b$ axis to the $c$ axis upon cooling. However, the transition temperatures and the width of this magnetic transition are strikingly different between the investigated samples, suggesting a strong influence from the real structure. Indeed, a significant difference in the oxygen content was deduced by single-crystal x-ray diffraction. The magnon dispersion was studied by inelastic neutron scattering revealing a nearest-neighbor interaction comparable to that in ${\mathrm{LaSrFeO}}_{4}$ but with smaller anisotropy gaps. A clear interlayer dispersion was observed resulting from the structural distortions and the relief of geometrical frustration due to the orthorhombic splitting.

Inelastic neutron scattering techniques have been used to study the field-induced multiferroic transition and the temperature dependence of magnetic excitations in ${\text{TbMnO}}_{3}$. The significant changes in the spin-wave spectra across the field-induced transition perfectly agree with a rotation of the cycloidal spiral plane and with efficient pinning in the commensurate high-field phase. Further analysis of the $\mathbf{Q}$ dependence allows the identification of an electromagnon in the multiferroic high-field phase whose energy and polarization precisely matches previous infrared data. This and the zero-field temperature dependence of a zone-center magnon, which exactly agrees with that of an optically detected excitation, document that the inverse Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction induces an electromagnon hybrid excitation in ${\text{TbMnO}}_{3}$.

Inelastic neutron scattering investigations on optimally doped YBCO revealed a very pronounced temperature dependence of the Cu–O in-plane bond-stretching vibrations along the (0 1 0)-direction: a downward shift of spectral weight with decreasing temperature by at least 10 meV in a narrow range of wave vectors halfway to the zone boundary. The temperature evolution starts around 200 K, well above the superconducting transition temperature. This phonon anomaly provides strong evidence for large electron–phonon coupling. It also indicates an incipient charge density wave instability within the CuO2 planes reminiscent of dynamical charge stripes. The magnetic fluctuations have been investigated in great detail on the same sample. Incommensurate spin fluctuations have been observed for energies both below and above the energy of the resonance peak at E=41 meV. However, the dispersive nature of these fluctuations as well as their apparent isotropy in the basal plane speak against an interpretation of the spin fluctuation spectrum in the framework of the classical stripe phase picture.

We present inelastic neutron scattering data on optimally doped Tl2Ba2CuO6+δ (T c =92 K ), a single-layer copper oxide with undistorted copper oxide planes. The data indicate a magnetic resonant mode below Tc, as previously observed in YBa2Cu3O6+δ and Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ. The mode is thus a generic feature of the copper oxide superconductors.

We present an inelastic neutron scattering study on single-crystalline LiFeAs devoted to the characterization of the incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations at $\mathbf{Q}=(0.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\delta},0.5\ensuremath{\mp}\ensuremath{\delta},{q}_{l})$. Time-of-flight measurements show the presence of these magnetic fluctuations up to an energy transfer of 60 meV, while polarized neutrons in combination with a longitudinal polarization analysis on a triple-axis spectrometer prove the pure magnetic origin of this signal. The normalization of the magnetic scattering to an absolute scale yields that magnetic fluctuations in LiFeAs are by a factor of 8 weaker than the resonance signal in nearly optimally Co-doped ${\mathrm{BaFe}}_{2}{\mathrm{As}}_{2}$, although a factor of 2 is recovered due to the split peaks owing to the incommensurability. The longitudinal polarization analysis indicates weak spin-space anisotropy with a slightly stronger out-of-plane component between 6 and 12 meV. Furthermore, our data suggest a fine structure of the magnetic signal most likely arising from superposing nesting vectors.

A critical examination of the spin dynamics in high-T c cuprates is made in the light of recent inelastic neutron scattering results obtained by different groups. The neutron data show that incommensurate magnetic peaks in YBCO belong to the same excitation as the resonance peak observed at (π/a, π/a). Being observed only in the superconducting state, the incommensurability is rather difficult to reconcile with a stripe picture. We also discuss the link between the resonance peak spectral weight and the superconducting condensation energy.

We report first inelastic neutron scattering measurements in the normal state of Sr_2RuO_4 that reveal the existence of incommensurate magnetic spin fluctuations located at ${\bf q}_0=(\pm 0.6\pi/a, \pm 0.6\pi/a, 0)$. This finding confirms recent band structure calculations that have predicted incommensurate magnetic responses related to dynamical nesting properties of its Fermi surface.

The magnetic excitation spectrum of a YBa2Cu3O7 crystal containing 0.5% of nonmagnetic (Zn) impurities has been determined by inelastic neutron scattering. Whereas in the pure system a sharp resonance peak at E . 40 meV is observed exclusively below the superconducting transition temperature Tc, the magnetic response in the Zn-substituted system is broadened significantly and vanishes at a temperature much higher than Tc. The energy-integrated spectral weight observed near q › sp, pd increases with Zn substitution, and only about half of the spectral weight is removed at Tc. [S0031-9007(99)08563-4]

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements have been carried out on a YBa2(Cu0.98-Zn0.02)3O 6+x single crystal in both underdoped (x = 0.7) and overdoped (x = 0.97) regimes. In the zinc substituted system, spin dynamics is drastically changed in respect to the pure compound: (i) the "resonance peak" almost vanishes, (ii) the spin gap is filled, (iii) new antiferromagnetic excitations are found at low energy. These new magnetic fluctuations, which persist in the normal state, account for a local enhancement of AF correlations around nonmagnetic impurities. Besides, it is worth emphasizing that features, not directly related to superconductivity, i.e., the contribution to the spin dynamics apart from the resonance peak and the "spin pseudo-gap" observed in the underdoped regime above T c , coexist with the new low energy magnetic fluctuations.

We present elastic and inelastic neutron scattering data on LaSrFeO$_4$. We confirm the known magnetic structure with the magnetic moments lying in the tetragonal basal plane, but contrarily to previous reports our macroscopic and neutron diffraction data do not reveal any additional magnetic phase transition connected to a spin reorientation or to a redistribution of two irreducible presentations. Our inelastic neutron scattering data reveals the magnon dispersion along the main-symmetry directions [0 $\xi$ 0] and [$\xi$ -$\xi$ 0]. The dispersion can be explained within linear spin-wave theory yielding an antiferromagnetic nearest-neighbour interaction parameter $J_{1}=7.4(1)$ meV and a next-nearest neighbour interaction parameter $J_{2}=0.4(1)$ meV. The dispersion is gapped with the out-of-plane anisotropy gap found at $\Delta_{out}=5.26(2)$ meV, while evidence is present that the in-plane anisotropy gap lies at lower energies, where it cannot be determined due to limited instrument resolution., Comment: 9 pages, 11 figures

In the first part of this paper the results of X-ray and neutron diffraction studies of the structural aspects related to oxygen insertion in the CuOx planes of YBa2Cu3O6+x compounds are presented. The second part is devoted to the inelastic neutron scattering study of the spin dynamics in the three regimes (weakly doped, heavily doped, and overdoped) of the metallic phases of YBa2Cu3O6+x.

Inelastic-neutron-scattering measurements have been performed to determine the imaginary part of the dynamical susceptibility, \ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{''}(Q,\ensuremath{\omega}), of a ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$(${\mathrm{Cu}}_{1\mathrm{\ensuremath{-}}\mathit{y}}$${\mathrm{Zn}}_{\mathit{y}}$${)}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{6.97}$ sample exhibiting a superconducting transition at ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$=69 K. Zinc substitution induces striking modifications of the energy dependence of \ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{''}(Q,\ensuremath{\omega}) but magnetic fluctuations remain peaked at the antiferromagnetic wave vector, ${\mathit{Q}}_{\mathrm{AF}}$, at all investigated energies. In the superconducting state of the zinc-free compound, \ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{''}(Q,\ensuremath{\omega}) is restricted to a narrow energy range, \ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega}=33--47 meV, displaying a spin gap at ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathit{G}}$=33 meV and a resonant enhancement at ${\mathit{E}}_{\mathrm{\ensuremath{\tau}}}$=39 meV, both features vanishing upon heating up above ${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$. In the y=0.02 substituted sample in the superconducting state, there is still an energy band in the range 32--47 meV but no clear resonance, and a signal is now observed in the low energy range, though the line shape of \ensuremath{\chi}\ensuremath{''}(Q,\ensuremath{\omega}) indicates some reminiscence of the spin gap of the pure compound. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

Inelastic-neutron-scattering experiments have been performed to study the spin-excitation spectrum in the overdoped regime of the high-${\mathit{T}}_{\mathit{c}}$ superconducting system ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}$${\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}$${\mathrm{O}}_{6+\mathit{x}}$, x=0.97. All the observed magnetic fluctuations are peaked at the antiferromagnetic wave vector. In the superconducting state, the magnetic response is restricted over a limited energy range (\ensuremath{\Elzxh}\ensuremath{\omega}=33\char21{}46 meV). The imaginary part of the magnetic susceptibility is characterized by two contributions defined by different q widths and different temperature dependences. A resonant contribution, which displays a narrower q width, appears to be connected with superconductivity. The two contributions can be accounted for in the framework of the t-t\ensuremath{'}-J model in the presence of superconductivity. The main new feature in the overdoped regime is the partial disappearance of magnetic correlations for temperatures above the superconducting temperature. \textcopyright{} 1996 The American Physical Society.

The spin dynamics in single crystals of YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6 + x has been successfully investigated, by inelastic neutron scattering (INS) experiments, as a function of temperature in the metallic state over the whole doping range from the weakly doped ( x = 0.45, 0.51) to the heavily doped ( x = 0.69, 0.83, 0.92) and the overdoped ( x = 0.97, 1) regimes. Dynamical AF-correlations persist in all the metallic state. Actually, the imaginary part of the magnetic susceptibility χ″ consists of two contributions which have different doping and temperature dependences. At low temperature, χ″ exhibits an energy gap in any superconducting samples which becomes much weaker close to the insulating-metallic transition. To emphasize the characteristic features of the spin dynamics in YBCO, INS results obtained by other groups are compared with our experiments. Several theoretical approaches, which intend to describe the energy line shape of the dynamical magnetic susceptibility, are also discussed.

The spin dynamics of CuO2-layers in the high-Tc superconducting system YBa2Cu3O6+x has been extensively investigated by inelastic neutron scattering on single crystals. In this paper we review the most important results obtained on the evolution of magnetic excitation spectra from both sides of Tc.

Magnetic correlations in superconducting LiFeAs were studied by elastic and by inelastic neutron-scattering experiments. There is no indication for static magnetic ordering, but inelastic correlations appear at the incommensurate wave vector ($0.5\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}\ensuremath{\delta},0.5\ensuremath{\mp}\ensuremath{\delta},0$) with $\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\sim}0.07$ slightly shifted from the commensurate ordering observed in other FeAs-based compounds. The incommensurate magnetic excitations respond to the opening of the superconducting gap by a transfer of spectral weight.

The spin dynamics of CuO 2 -layers in the high-T c superconducting system YBa 2 Cu 3 O 6+x has been extensively investigated by inelastic neutron scattering on single crystals. In this paper we will review the most important results recently obtained on the evolution of magnetic excitation spectra in the weakly, heavily and overdoped regimes, from both sides of T c .

By inelastic neutron scattering, we have analyzed the magnetic correlations in the paramagnetic metallic region of the series Ca${}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}$Sr${}_{x}$RuO${}_{4}$, $0.2\ensuremath{\leqslant}x\ensuremath{\leqslant}0.62$. We find different contributions that correspond to two-dimensional ferromagnetic fluctuations and to fluctuations at incommensurate wave vectors ${Q}_{1}^{\mathrm{IC}}=(0.11,0,0)$, ${Q}_{2}^{\mathrm{IC}}=(0.26,0,0)$, and ${Q}_{\ensuremath{\alpha}\ensuremath{\beta}}^{\mathrm{IC}}=(0.3,0.3,0)$. These components constitute the measured response as a function of the Sr concentration $x$, of the magnetic field, and of the temperature. A generic model is applicable to metallic Ca${}_{2\ensuremath{-}x}$Sr${}_{x}$RuO${}_{4}$ close to the Mott transition, in spite of their strongly varying physical properties. The amplitude, characteristic energy, and width of the incommensurate components vary only slightly as functions of $x$, but the ferromagnetic component depends sensitively on concentration, temperature, and magnetic field. While ferromagnetic fluctuations are very strong in Ca${}_{1.38}$Sr${}_{0.62}$RuO${}_{4}$ with a low characteristic energy of 0.2 meV at $T=1.5$ K, they are strongly suppressed in Ca${}_{1.8}$Sr${}_{0.2}$RuO${}_{4}$, but reappear upon the application of a magnetic field, and form a magnon mode above the metamagnetic transition. The inelastic neutron scattering results document how the competition between ferromagnetic and incommensurate antiferromagnetic instabilities governs the physics of this system.

The pseudogap phenomenon, a discontinuity in the energy level of a material's electronic spectrum, is a universal characteristic of the high transition temperature (Tc) copper oxides. The nature of the pseudogap has been a central question in condensed matter physics for more than a decade, but many of its properties remain unexplained. Recent studies have pointed to the universal existence of an unusual magnetic order below T*, the temperature below which the anomalous properties associated with the pseudogap become apparent. If confirmed, this would have the profound implication that the pseudogap regime constitutes a genuine new phase of matter rather than a mere crossover phenomenon. The results of inelastic neutron scattering experiments on the superconductor HgBa2CuO4+δ (Hg1201) now reveal a fundamental collective magnetic mode associated with the unusual order, providing further support for this picture. Recent findings indicate that the pseudogap regime in the high-transition-temperature copper oxides constitutes a new phase of matter rather than a mere crossover phenomenon. These authors report inelastic neutron scattering results for HgBa2CuO4+δ that reveal a fundamental collective magnetic mode associated with the unusual order, further supporting this picture. The mode's intensity rises below the pseudogap characteristic temperature and its dispersion is weak. The elucidation of the pseudogap phenomenon of the high-transition-temperature (high-Tc) copper oxides—a set of anomalous physical properties below the characteristic temperature T* and above Tc—has been a major challenge in condensed matter physics for the past two decades1. Following initial indications of broken time-reversal symmetry in photoemission experiments2, recent polarized neutron diffraction work demonstrated the universal existence of an unusual magnetic order below T* (refs 3, 4). These findings have the profound implication that the pseudogap regime constitutes a genuine new phase of matter rather than a mere crossover phenomenon. They are furthermore consistent with a particular type of order involving circulating orbital currents, and with the notion that the phase diagram is controlled by a quantum critical point5. Here we report inelastic neutron scattering results for HgBa2CuO4+δ that reveal a fundamental collective magnetic mode associated with the unusual order, and which further support this picture. The mode’s intensity rises below the same temperature T* and its dispersion is weak, as expected for an Ising-like order parameter6. Its energy of 52–56 meV renders it a new candidate for the hitherto unexplained ubiquitous electron–boson coupling features observed in spectroscopic studies7,8,9,10.

The magnetic correlations in the charge and orbital ordered manganite ${\text{La}}_{1/2}{\text{Sr}}_{3/2}{\text{MnO}}_{4}$ have been studied by elastic and inelastic neutron scattering techniques. Out of the well-defined charge exchange (CE)-type magnetic structure with the corresponding magnons, a competition between CE-type and ferromagnetic fluctuations develops. Whereas ferromagnetic correlations are fully suppressed by the static CE-type order at low temperature, elastic and inelastic CE-type correlations disappear with the melting of the charge-orbital order at high temperature. In its charge-orbital disordered phase, ${\text{La}}_{1/2}{\text{Sr}}_{3/2}{\text{MnO}}_{4}$ exhibits a dispersion of ferromagnetic correlations, which remarkably resembles the magnon dispersion in ferromagnetically ordered metallic perovskite manganites.

The pseudogap is one of the most pervasive phenomena of high temperature superconductors. It is attributed either to incoherent Cooper pairing setting in above the superconducting transition temperature Tc, or to a hidden order parameter competing with superconductivity. Here we use inelastic neutron scattering from underdoped YBa(2)Cu(3)O(6.6) to show that the dispersion relations of spin excitations in the superconducting and pseudogap states are qualitatively different. Specifically, the extensively studied "hour glass" shape of the magnetic dispersions in the superconducting state is no longer discernible in the pseudogap state and we observe an unusual "vertical" dispersion with pronounced in-plane anisotropy. The differences between superconducting and pseudogap states are thus more profound than generally believed, suggesting a competition between these two states. Whereas the high-energy excitations are common to both states and obey the symmetry of the copper oxide square lattice, the low-energy excitations in the pseudogap state may be indicative of collective fluctuations towards a state with broken orientational symmetry predicted in theoretical work., Comment: 6 pages, 8 figures, contains supplementary information. Some data from V. Hinkov et al., arXiv:cond-mat/0601048, is included

We report a neutron scattering study of the spin excitation spectrum in the superconducting state of the slightly overdoped ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{CaCu}}_{2}{\mathrm{O}}_{8+\ensuremath{\delta}}$ system $({T}_{c}=87\phantom{\rule{0.3em}{0ex}}\mathrm{K})$. We focus on the dispersion of the resonance peak in the superconducting state that is due to a $S=1$ collective mode. The measured spin excitation spectrum bears a strong similarity to the spectrum of the ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6+x}$ system for a similar doping level (i.e., $x\ensuremath{\sim}0.95\ensuremath{-}1$), which can be described as intersecting upward- and downward-dispersing branches. A close comparison of the threshold of the electron-hole spin flip continuum, known from angle resolved photoemission measurements in the same system, indicates that the magnetic response in the superconducting state is confined, in both energy and momentum, below the gapped Stoner continuum. In contrast to ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6+x}$, the spin excitation spectrum is broader than the experimental resolution. In the framework of an itinerant-electron model, we quantitatively relate this intrinsic energy width to the superconducting gap distribution observed in scanning tunneling microscopy experiments. Our study further suggests a significant in-plane anisotropy of the magnetic response.

The magnetic excitations in Ca 1.8 Sr 0.2 RuO 4 were studied across the metamagnetic transition and as a function of temperature using inelastic neutron scattering. At low temperature and low magnetic field the magnetic response is dominated by a complex superposition of incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations. Upon increasing the magnetic field across the metamagnetic transition, paramagnon and finally well-defined magnon scattering is induced, partially suppressing the incommensurate signals. The high-field phase in Ca 1.8 Sr 0.2 RuO 4 , therefore, has to be considered as an intrinsically ferromagnetic state stabilized by the magnetic field.

The lattice dynamics in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ has been studied by inelastic neutron scattering combined with shell-model calculations. The in-plane bond-stretching modes in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$ exhibit a normal dispersion in contrast to all electronically doped perovskites studied so far. Evidence for strong electron phonon coupling is found for $c$-polarized phonons suggesting a close connection with the anomalous $c$-axis charge transport in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}\mathrm{Ru}{\mathrm{O}}_{4}$. The role of this electron-phonon coupling in the superconducting pairing remains, however, a challenging open issue.

The magnetic excitations in multiferroic TbMnO3 have been studied by inelastic neutron scattering in the spiral and sinusoidally ordered phases. At the incommensurate magnetic zone center of the spiral phase, we find three low-lying magnons whose character has been fully determined using neutron-polarization analysis. The excitation at the lowest energy is the sliding mode of the spiral, and two modes at 1.1 and 2.5 meV correspond to rotations of the spiral rotation plane. These latter modes are expected to couple to the electric polarization. The 2.5 meV mode is in perfect agreement with recent infrared-spectroscopy data giving strong support to its interpretation as a hybridized phonon-magnon excitation.

Resonant magnetic modes with odd and even symmetries were studied by inelastic neutron scattering experiments in the bilayer high-${T}_{c}$ superconductor ${\mathrm{Y}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\mathrm{Ca}}_{x}{\mathrm{Ba}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6+y}$ over a wide doping range. The threshold of the spin excitation continuum in the superconducting state, deduced from the energies and spectral weights of both modes, is compared with the superconducting $d$-wave gap, deduced from electronic Raman scattering in the ${B}_{1g}$ symmetry on the same samples. Above a critical doping level of $\ensuremath{\delta}\ensuremath{\simeq}0.19$, both mode energies and the continuum threshold coincide. We find a simple scaling relationship between the characteristic energies and spectral weights of both modes, which indicates that the resonant modes are bound states in the superconducting energy gap, as predicted by the spin-exciton model of the resonant mode.

The magnon dispersion in the charge, orbital, and spin ordered phase in La1/2Sr3/2MnO4 has been studied by means of inelastic neutron scattering. We find excellent agreement with a magnetic interaction model based on the CE-type superstructure. The magnetic excitations are dominated by ferromagnetic exchange parameters revealing a nearly one-dimensional character at high energies. The strong ferromagnetic interaction in the charge or orbital ordered phase appears to be essential for the capability of manganites to switch between metallic and insulating phases.

The compound TlCuCl3 represents a model system of dimerized quantum spins with strong interdimer interactions. We investigate the triplet dispersion as a function of temperature by inelastic neutron scattering experiments on single crystals. By comparison with a number of theoretical approaches we demonstrate that the description of Troyer, Tsunetsugu, and Wuertz [Phys. Rev. B 50, 13515 (1994)] provides an appropriate quantum statistical model for dimer spin systems at finite temperatures, where many-body correlations become particularly important., 4 pages, 4 figures, to appear in Physical Review Letters

An inelastic neutron scattering experiment has been performed in the high-temperature superconductor $\rm YBa_2Cu_3O_{6.89}$ to search for an oxygen-isotope shift of the well-known magnetic resonance mode at 41 meV. Contrary to a recent prediction (I. Eremin, {\it et al.}, Phys. Rev. B {\bf 69}, 094517 (2004)), a negligible shift (at best $\leq$ +0.2 meV) of the resonance energy is observed upon oxygen isotope substitution ($^{16}$O$\to^{18}$O). This suggests a negligible spin-phonon interaction in the high-$T_c$ cuprates at optimal doping., Comment: 3 figures

A detailed inelastic neutron scattering study of the high temperature superconductor $\mathrm{Y}\mathrm{B}{\mathrm{a}}_{2}\mathrm{C}{\mathrm{u}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.85}$ provides evidence of new resonant magnetic features, in addition to the well-known resonant mode at 41 meV: (i) a commensurate magnetic resonance peak at 53 meV with an even symmetry under exchange of two adjacent $\mathrm{C}\mathrm{u}{\mathrm{O}}_{2}$ layers, and (ii) high-energy incommensurate resonant spin excitations whose spectral weight is around 54 meV. The locus and the spectral weight of these modes provides unrevealed insight about the momentum shape of the electron-hole spin-flip continuum of $d$-wave superconductors.

The anisotropy of the magnetic incommensurate fluctuations in Sr2RuO4 has been studied by inelastic neutron scattering with polarized neutrons. We find a sizable enhancement of the out-of-plane component by a factor of 2 for intermediate energy transfer, which appears to decrease for higher energies. Our results qualitatively confirm calculations of the spin-orbit coupling, but the experimental anisotropy and its energy dependence are weaker than predicted.

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments have been carried out on a YBa 2 (Cu 0.98 Zn 0.02 ) 3 O 6.39 single crystal to investigate the spin-excitation spectrum in the hole-doped antiferromagnetic state. New excitations are found at low energy as a consequence of electron—hole interactions, whereas standard magnons are recovered at sufficiently high energy.

We have studied the magnetic excitations in Ca2-xSrxRuO4, x=0.52 and 0.62, which exhibit an anomalously high susceptibility and heavy mass Fermi liquid behavior. Our inelastic neutron scattering experiments reveal strongly enhanced magnetic fluctuations around an incommensurate wave-vector (0.22,0,0) pointing to a magnetic instability. The magnetic fluctuations show no correlation in the c direction and also along the RuO2 planes the signal is extremely broad, Deltaq=0.45 A(-1). These fluctuations can quantitatively account for the high specific heat coefficient and relate to the high macroscopic susceptibility. The magnetic scattering is attributed to the d(xy) band, the active band for spin triplet superconductivity in Sr2RuO4.

A detailed inelastic neutron scattering study of the overdoped high temperature copper oxide superconductor ${Y_{0.9}Ca_{0.1}Ba_{2}Cu_3O_{7}}$ reveals two distinct magnetic resonant modes in the superconducting state. The modes differ in their symmetry with respect to exchange between adjacent copper oxide layers. Counterparts of the mode with odd symmetry, but not the one with even symmetry, had been observed before at lower doping levels. The observation of the even mode resolves a long-standing puzzle, and the spectral weight ratio of both modes yields an estimate of the onset of particle-hole spin-flip excitations., Comment: Submitted to PRL

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments in high-$T_c$ cuprates have evidenced a new magnetic excitation present in the superconducting state. In particular, recent experiments on single layer Tl$_{2}$Ba$_{2}$CuO$_{6+\delta }$, performed near optimum doping ($ T_{c} \sim 90$ K), provide evidence of a sharp magnetic resonant mode below $ T_{c}$, similar to previous reports on the YBCO and BSCCO bilayer systems. This result supports models that ascribe a key role to magnetic excitations in the mechanism of superconductivity., Comment: Proceedings of the LT23 conference (Hiroshima-Aug2002)

Magnetic excitations in ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ have been studied by inelastic neutron scattering. The magnetic fluctuations are dominated by incommensurate peaks related to the Fermi surface nesting of the quasi-one-dimensional ${d}_{\mathrm{xz}}$ and ${d}_{\mathrm{yz}}$ bands. The shape of the incommensurate signal agrees well with random phase approximation calculations. At the incommensurate Q positions the energy spectrum considerably softens upon cooling, pointing to a close magnetic instability: ${\mathrm{Sr}}_{2}{\mathrm{RuO}}_{4}$ does not exhibit quantum criticality but is very close to it. $\ensuremath{\omega}/T$ scaling may be fitted to the data for temperatures above 30 K. Below the superconducting transition, the magnetic response at the nesting signal is not found to change in the energy range down to 0.4 meV.

We report electronic Raman scattering from Ni-substituted ${\mathrm{YBa}}_{2}{\mathrm{Cu}}_{3}{\mathrm{O}}_{6.95}$ single crystals with ${T}_{c}$ ranging from $92.5$ to $78\mathrm{K}$. The fully symmetrical ${A}_{1g}$ channel and the ${B}_{1g}$ channel which is sensitive to the ${d}_{{x}^{2}{\ensuremath{-}y}^{2}}$ gap maximum have been explored. The energy of the ${B}_{1g}$ pair-breaking peak remains constant under Ni doping while the energy of the ${A}_{1g}$ peak scales with ${T}_{c}$ ( ${E}_{{A}_{1g}}{/k}_{B}{T}_{c}\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}=\phantom{\rule{0ex}{0ex}}5$). Our data show that the ${A}_{1g}$ peak tracks the magnetic resonance peak observed in inelastic neutron scattering yielding a key explanation to the long-standing problem of the origin of the ${A}_{1g}$ peak.

An inelastic neutron scattering study of overdoped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta} $ (T_c = 83 K) has revealed a resonant spin excitation in the superconducting state. The mode energy is E_res=38 meV, significantly lower than in optimally doped Bi_2Sr_2CaCu_2O_{8+\delta} (T_c = 91 K, E_ res =43 meV). This observation, which indicates a constant ratio E_res /k_B T_c \sim 5.4, helps resolve a long-standing controversy about the origin of the resonant spin excitation in high-temperature superconductors., Comment: final version: PRL 86, 1610 (2001)

Nonmagnetic Zn impurities are known to strongly suppress superconductivity. We review their effects on the spin excitation spectrum in $\rm YBa_2Cu_3O_{7}$, as investigated by inelastic neutron scattering measurements., Proceedings of Mato Advanced Research Workshop BLED 2000. To appear in Nato Science Series: B Physics

Many physical properties of the copper oxide high temperature superconductors appear to defy the conventional (one-electron) theory of metals, and the development of new theories incorporating strong electron correlations is currently at the forefront of condensed matter physics. Inelastic neutron scattering provides incisive information about collective magnetic excitations that is required to guide this effort. Such measurements have thus far proven possible for only two of the many families of high temperature superconductors, La_{2-x} Sr_x CuO_4 and YBa_2 Cu_3 O_{6+x},because suitably large single crystals of other copper oxide compounds could not be grown. While the magnetic spectra of both materials bear certain similarities, there are also pronounced differences that have hampered a unified description of the spin dynamics in the copper oxides. In particular, a sharp resonant spin excitation dominates the spectrum in the superconducting state of YBa_2 Cu_3 O_{6+x}, but is not found in La_{2-x} Sr_x CuO_4. Here we report the discovery of a magnetic resonance peak in the superconducting state of a different copper oxide system, Bi_2 Sr_2 Ca Cu_2 O_{8+\delta}, made possible by the synthesis of a sizable single crystal and modern neutron optics. This provides evidence of the generality of this unusual phenomenon among the copper oxides and greatly extends the empirical basis for its theoretical description., Comment: 3 figures; to appear in Nature

Spin gap in optimally-doped YBCO was investigated by inelastic neutron scattering. We found that q -integrated spectral weight in the vicinity of the spin gap has a shape of a step function at 10 K with the sharp resolution-limited onset at 33 meV, i.e. there is no observable spectral weight at 31 meV but full spectral weight at 35 meV. The spin gap does not soften or ‘fill in’ as the temperature is increased to T c . Above T c we find no evidence for q -dependent magnetic signal at 35 meV.

We discuss the magnetic excitations in several 214-ruthenates as observed by inelastic neutron scattering. In the spin-triplet superconductor Sr2RuO4 the magnetic excitation spectrum is dominated by incommensurate peaks arising from strong nesting between quasi-one-dimensional bands. These excitations are found to freeze out through minor substitution of Ru by Ti. One may conclude that Sr2RuO4 itself is already very close to spin density wave ordering. Sr2RuO4 seems to exhibit also additional, much weaker magnetic excitations; these are still incommensurate but situated much closer to the zone-center. Similar almost ferromagnetic fluctuations become strongly enhanced and dominant by replacing Sr through Ca.