The spin-wave spectrum of the Jahn-Teller system LaTiO3

A neutron scattering study of the Mott-Hubbard insulator LaTiO$_{3}$ (T$_{{\rm N}}=132$ K) reveals a spin wave spectrum that is well described by a nearest-neighbor superexchange constant $J=15.5$ meV and a small Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction ($D=1.1$ meV). The nearly isotropic spin wave spectrum is surprising in view of the absence of a static Jahn-Teller distortion that could quench the orbital angular momentum, and it may indicate strong orbital fluctuations. A resonan...

We investigate the effect of the experimentally observed Jahn-Teller distortion of the oxygen octahedra in LaTiO3 on the magnetic exchange. We present a localized model for the effective hopping between nearest-neighbor Ti ions and the intra-site Coulomb interactions, based on a non-degenerate orbital ground state due to the static crystal field. The latter corresponds to an orbital order which recently has been confirmed experimentally. Using perturbation theory we calculate...

Using a point-charge calculation of the electrostatic crystal field, we determine the non-degenerate orbital ground state of the ferromagnetic Mott insulator YTiO3, which is found to agree perfectly with experiment. Based on the orbital order, we obtain by perturbation theory an effective spin Hamiltonian that describes the magnetic superexchange between nearest-neighbor Ti ions. The superexchange Hamiltonian includes, in addition to the isotropic Heisenberg coupling, antisym...

Neutron scattering is used to study spin waves in the three-dimensional Heisenberg ferromagnet YTiO$_3$, with spin-spin exchange disorder introduced $via$ La-substitution at the Y site. No significant changes are observed in the spin-wave dispersion up to a La concentration of 20%. However, a strong broadening of the spectrum is found, indicative of shortened spin-wave lifetimes. Density-functional theory calculations predict minimal changes in exchange constants as a result ...

Using time-of-flight and triple-axis inelastic neutron spectroscopy, we determine spin wave excitations throughout the Brillouin zone for ferromagnetic manganites La$_{1-x}$Ca$_x$MnO$_3$ ($x=0.25,0.3$) in their low temperature metallic states. While spin wave excitations in the long wavelength limit (spin stiffness $D$) have similar values for both compounds, the excitations near the Brillouin zone boundary of La$_{0.7}$Ca$_{0.3}$MnO$_3$ are considerable softened in all symme...

The crystal and magnetic structure of LaTiO3 ~ has been studied by x-ray and neutron diffraction techniques using nearly stoichiometric samples. We find a strong structural anomaly near the antiferromagnetic ordering, T$_N$=146 K. In addition, the octahedra in LaTiO3 exhibit an intrinsic distortion which implies a splitting of the t2g-levels. Our results indicate that LaTiO3 should be considered as a Jahn-Teller system where the structural distortion and the resulting level s...

The magnetic excitations of the square-lattice spin-1/2 antiferromagnet and high-Tc parent La2CuO4 are determined using high-resolution inelastic neutron scattering. Sharp spin waves with absolute intensities in agreement with theory including quantum corrections are found throughout the Brillouin zone. The observed dispersion relation shows evidence for substantial interactions beyond the nearest-neighbor Heisenberg term, which can be understood in terms of a cyclic or ring ...

The spin-wave spectrum in the metallic ferromagnetic lantha-num cubic manganites was investigated. The interactions with four coordination spheres (32 neighbors) were taken into ac-count. The Heisenberg superexchange between all manganese ions as well as double exchange between the manganese ions with different valence were under consideration. The obtained magnon spectrum permits to investigate dispersion relations along an any crystallographic directions. This possibility w...

The polarized Raman spectra of stoichiometric LaTiO$_3$ (T$_N = 150$ K) were measured between 6 and 300 K. In contrast to earlier report on half-metallic LaTiO$_{3.02}$, neither strong background scattering, nor Fano shape of the Raman lines was observed. The high frequency phonon line at 655 cm$^{-1}$ exhibits anomalous softening below T$_N$: a signature for structural rearrangement. The assignment of the Raman lines was done by comparison to the calculations of lattice dyna...

We present a theory of the collective orbital excitation termed orbital wave in perovskite titanates and vanadates with the triply degenerate $t_{2g}$ orbitals. The dispersion relations of the orbital waves for the orbital ordered LaVO$_3$, YVO$_3$ and YTiO$_3$ are examined in the effective spin-orbital coupled Hamiltonians associated with the Jahn-Teller type couplings. We propose possible scattering processes for the Raman and inelastic neutron scatterings from the orbital ...