Magnon dispersion in Ca2Ru1-xTix O4: Impact of spin-orbit coupling and oxygen moments

Abstract

The magnon dispersion of Ca2RuO4 has been studied by polarized and unpolarized neutron scattering experiments on crystals containing 0, 1, and 10% of Ti. Ti is inserted in order to enable the growth of large, partially detwinned crystals. One percent of Ti has a negligible impact on structural and magnetic properties. Also for 10% Ti content magnetic properties still change very little, but the insulating phase is stabilized up to at least 700 K and structural distortions are reduced. The full dispersion of transverse magnons studied for 1% Ti substitution can be well described by a conventional spin-wave model with interaction and anisotropy parameters that agree with density functional theory calculations. Spin-orbit coupling strongly influences the magnetic excitations, as it is most visible in large energies of the magnetic zone-center modes arising from magnetic anisotropy. Additional modes appear at low energy near the antiferromagnetic zone center and can be explained by a sizable magnetic moment of 0.11 Bohr magnetons, which the density functional theory calculations find located on the apical oxygens. The energy and the signal strength of the additional branch are well described by taking into account this oxygen moment with weak ferromagnetic coupling to the Ru moments. © 2017 American Physical Society.