Block Magnetic Excitations in the Orbitally Selective Mott Insulator BaFe 2 Se 3

M. Mourigal, Shan Wu, M. B. Stone, J. R. Neilson, J. M. Caron, T. M. McQueen, C. L. Broholm

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Abstract

Iron pnictides and selenides display a variety of unusual magnetic phases originating from the interplay between electronic, orbital, and lattice degrees of freedom. Using powder inelastic neutron scattering on the two-leg ladder BaFe 2 Se 3, we fully characterize the static and dynamic spin correlations associated with the Fe 4 block state, an exotic magnetic ground state observed in this low-dimensional magnet and in Rb 0.89 Fe 1.58 Se 2. All the magnetic excitations of the Fe 4 block state predicted by an effective Heisenberg model with localized spins are observed below 300 meV and quantitatively reproduced. However, the data only account for 16 (3) μ B 2 per Fe 2 +, approximatively 2 / 3 of the total spectral weight expected for localized S = 2 moments. Our results highlight how orbital degrees of freedom in iron-based magnets can conspire to stabilize an exotic magnetic state.

Original languageEnglish
Article number047401
JournalPhysical Review Letters
Volume115
Issue number4
DOIs
StatePublished - Jul 23 2015

Funding

FundersFunder number
U.S. Department of EnergyDE-FG02-08ER46544

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