Dimerized Excitations in La$_{4}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{10}$

ORAL

Abstract

The interplay between orbital, spin and charge degrees of freedom is at the forefront of condensed matter physics. The discovery of orbital ordering in La$_{4}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{10}$ [1] offers a unique opportunity to study orbital phenomena in a 4d transition metal oxide. La$_{4}$Ru$_{2}$O$_{10}$ undergoes a structural phase transition at $\sim $158K, below which there is a spin gap of $\sim $40 meV caused by Ru-O-Ru dimerization. We have performed single crystal time-of-flight neutron scattering measurements on the ARCS spectrometer at the SNS in ``sweep'' mode, a new technique in which neutron events are measured during continuous sample rotation, in order to quickly and efficiently map out four-dimensional volumes of S(q,w). With this method, we measured the structure factors and full dispersion of the singlet-triplet excitations as a function of \textbf{Q} and w. A model of the orbital ordering producing the magnetic excitations and the event-based technique used for their measurement will be discussed.\\[4pt] [1] P. Khalifah, et al., Science \textbf{297},2237 (2002)

*Supported by U.S. Department of Energy, Office of Science, under contract No. DE-AC02-06CH11357.

Authors

  • John-Paul Castellan

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
  • R. Osborn

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
  • S. Rosenkranz

    • Argonne National Laboratory
    • Argonne National Laboratory, Argonne, IL 60439
  • M.B. Stone

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831
  • S.E. Nagler

    • NSSD-ORNL
    • Oak Ridge Natl Lab
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831
  • M.A. Lumsden

    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory
    • Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Oak Ridge, TN 37831
  • P. Khalifah

    • SUNY Stony Brook, Stony Brook, NY 11794.