Hierarchical excitations from correlated spin tetrahedra on the breathing pyrochlore lattice

Shang Gao; Andrew F. May; Mao Hua Du; Joseph A.M. Paddison; Hasitha Suriya Arachchige; Ganesh Pokharel; Clarina Dela Cruz; Qiang Zhang; Georg Ehlers; David S. Parker; David G. Mandrus; Matthew B. Stone; Andrew D. Christianson

doi:10.1103/PhysRevB.103.214418

Hierarchical excitations from correlated spin tetrahedra on the breathing pyrochlore lattice

Shang Gao, Andrew F. May, Mao Hua Du, Joseph A.M. Paddison, Hasitha Suriya Arachchige, Ganesh Pokharel, Clarina Dela Cruz, Qiang Zhang, Georg Ehlers, David S. Parker, David G. Mandrus, Matthew B. Stone, Andrew D. Christianson

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6 Scopus citations

Abstract

The hierarchy of the coupling strengths in a physical system often engenders an effective model at low energies where the decoupled high-energy modes are integrated out. Here, using neutron scattering, we show that the spin excitations in the breathing pyrochlore lattice compound CuInCr4S8 are hierarchical and can be approximated by an effective model of correlated tetrahedra at low energies. At higher energies, intratetrahedron excitations together with strong magnon-phonon couplings are observed, which suggests the possible role of the lattice degree of freedom in stabilizing the spin tetrahedra. Our work illustrates the spin dynamics in CuInCr4S8 and demonstrates a general effective-cluster approach to understand the dynamics on the breathing-type lattices.

Original language	English
Article number	214418
Journal	Physical Review B
Volume	103
Issue number	21
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.103.214418
State	Published - Jun 1 2021

Funding

We acknowledge helpful discussions with K. D. Belashchenko, Y. Q. Cheng, M. McGuire, and H. B. Cao. This work was supported by the US Department of Energy, Office of Science, Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences and Engineering Division. This research used resources at the Spallation Neutron Source (SNS) and the High Flux Isotope Reactor (HFIR), both are DOE Office of Science User Facilities operated by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL). H.S.A and G.P. were supported by the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through Grant No. GBMF4416. This manuscript has been authored by employees of UT-Battelle, LLC under Contract No. DE-AC05-00OR22725 with the US Department of Energy. The United States Government retains and the publisher, by accepting the article for publication, acknowledges that the United States Government retains a nonexclusive, paid-up, irrevocable, worldwide license to publish or reproduce the published form of this manuscript, or allow others to do so, for US Government purposes. The Department of Energy will provide public access to these results of federally sponsored research in accordance with the DOE Public Access Plan .

Funders	Funder number
U.S. Department of Energy
Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation	DE-AC05-00OR22725, GBMF4416
Office of Science
Basic Energy Sciences
Division of Materials Sciences and Engineering

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Gao, S., May, A. F., Du, M. H., Paddison, J. A. M., Arachchige, H. S., Pokharel, G., Dela Cruz, C., Zhang, Q., Ehlers, G., Parker, D. S., Mandrus, D. G., Stone, M. B., & Christianson, A. D. (2021). Hierarchical excitations from correlated spin tetrahedra on the breathing pyrochlore lattice. Physical Review B, 103(21), Article 214418. https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.103.214418

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abstract = "The hierarchy of the coupling strengths in a physical system often engenders an effective model at low energies where the decoupled high-energy modes are integrated out. Here, using neutron scattering, we show that the spin excitations in the breathing pyrochlore lattice compound CuInCr4S8 are hierarchical and can be approximated by an effective model of correlated tetrahedra at low energies. At higher energies, intratetrahedron excitations together with strong magnon-phonon couplings are observed, which suggests the possible role of the lattice degree of freedom in stabilizing the spin tetrahedra. Our work illustrates the spin dynamics in CuInCr4S8 and demonstrates a general effective-cluster approach to understand the dynamics on the breathing-type lattices.",

author = "Shang Gao and May, {Andrew F.} and Du, {Mao Hua} and Paddison, {Joseph A.M.} and Arachchige, {Hasitha Suriya} and Ganesh Pokharel and {Dela Cruz}, Clarina and Qiang Zhang and Georg Ehlers and Parker, {David S.} and Mandrus, {David G.} and Stone, {Matthew B.} and Christianson, {Andrew D.}",

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AU - Arachchige, Hasitha Suriya

AU - Pokharel, Ganesh

AU - Dela Cruz, Clarina

AU - Zhang, Qiang

AU - Ehlers, Georg

AU - Parker, David S.

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AU - Stone, Matthew B.

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AB - The hierarchy of the coupling strengths in a physical system often engenders an effective model at low energies where the decoupled high-energy modes are integrated out. Here, using neutron scattering, we show that the spin excitations in the breathing pyrochlore lattice compound CuInCr4S8 are hierarchical and can be approximated by an effective model of correlated tetrahedra at low energies. At higher energies, intratetrahedron excitations together with strong magnon-phonon couplings are observed, which suggests the possible role of the lattice degree of freedom in stabilizing the spin tetrahedra. Our work illustrates the spin dynamics in CuInCr4S8 and demonstrates a general effective-cluster approach to understand the dynamics on the breathing-type lattices.

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Hierarchical excitations from correlated spin tetrahedra on the breathing pyrochlore lattice

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