Thermal control of spin excitations in the coupled Ising-chain material RbCoCl<sub>3</sub>

ORAL

Abstract

We have used neutron spectroscopy to investigate the spin dynamics of the quantum (S = 1/2) antiferromagnetic Ising chains in RbCoCl3. The structure and magnetic interactions in this material conspire to produce two magnetic phase transitions at low temperatures, presenting an ideal opportunity for thermal control of the chain environment. The high-resolution spectra we measure of two-domain-wall excitations therefore characterize precisely both the continuum response of isolated chains and the ``Zeeman-ladder'' bound states of chains in three different effective staggered fields in one and the same material. We apply an extended Matsubara formalism to obtain a quantitative description of the entire dataset, Monte Carlo simulations to model the magnetic order, and finite-temperature DMRG calculations to interpret the spectral features of all three phases, providing a complete understanding of the multi-faceted Ising physics of RbCoCl3.

*This research was supported by the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), by the European Research Council (ERC) under the EU Horizon 2020 research and innovation program, by the Bavarian Elite Network ExQM, and by the Swiss National Science Foundation (SNF).

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Presenters

  • Christian Ruegg

    • Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen
    • Research with Neutrons and Muons, Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute

Authors

  • Christian Ruegg

    • Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen
    • Research with Neutrons and Muons, Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute

  • Mattia Mena

    • Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute

  • Nora Haenni

    • Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern

  • Simon Ward

    • Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute

  • Eva Hirtenlechner

    • Institut Laue Langevin

  • Robert Bewley

    • ISIS Facility, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
    • Rutherford Appleton Laboratory

  • Claudius Hubig

    • Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik
    • Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig Maximilians University
    • Garching, Max-Planck-Institut für Quantenoptik

  • Ulrich Joseph Schollwoeck

    • Department of Physics, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München (LMU)
    • Arnold Sommerfeld Center, Ludwig Maximilians University
    • München, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität

  • Bruce Normand

    • Paul Scherrer Institute, Switzerland
    • Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Neutrons and Muons Research Division, Paul Scherrer Institute
    • Paul Scherer Institute, Vilingen
    • Laboratory for Neutron Scattering and Imaging, Paul Scherrer Institute, CH-5232 Villigen PSI, Switzerland

  • Karl Kraemer

    • Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry, University of Bern

  • Desmond F McMorrow

    • London Centre for Nanotechnology, University College London