Phonons and Magnetic Excitations in Mott-Insulator LaTiO$_3$

Weak antiferromagnetic (AF) interaction in the ferromagnetic (FM) partially ordered La2CoMnO6 (LCMO) was detected by Raman spectroscopy by monitoring spin-phonon coupling. Because of the sensibility to probe short-range disorder and lattice modifications, the Raman spectroscopy showed to be an useful tool to indicate less remarkable magnetic transitions in LCMO compound. Apart from the expected spin-phonon coupling due to the long-range FM superexchange (Tc~230 K), phonons pa...

We present a rationalization of the Raman spectra of orthorhombic and rhombohedral, stoichiometric and doped, manganese perovskites. In particular we study RMnO3 (R= La, Pr, Nd, Tb, Ho, Er, Y and Ca) and the different phases of Ca or Sr doped RMnO3 compounds as well as cation deficient RMnO3. The spectra of manganites can be understood as combinations of two kinds of spectra corresponding to two structural configurations of MnO6 octahedra and independently of the average stru...

Magnetic properties of Mott-Hubbard insulators are determined by superexchange interactions mediated by the high-spin (HS) and low-spin (LS) intersite d-d charge excitations, which can be associated with the HS- and LS-Hubbard subbands in optical experiments. To explore the Mott-Hubbard physics in orthorhombic LaTiO_3 crystal exhibiting the G-type antiferromagnetic order at the Neel temperature T_N = 146 K, we present a comprehensive spectroscopic ellipsometry study in the sp...

We performed a Raman scattering study of thin films of LiTi$_2$O$_4$ spinel oxide superconductor. We detected four out of five Raman active modes, with frequencies in good accordance with our first-principles calculations. Three T$_{2g}$ modes show a Fano lineshape from 5 K to 295 K, which suggests an electron-phonon coupling in LiTi$_2$O$_4$. Interestingly, the electron-phonon coupling shows an anomaly across the negative to positive magnetoresistance transition at 50 K, whi...

LaTiO$_3$ is known as Mott-insulator which orders antiferromagnetically at $T_{\rm N}=146$ K. We report on results of thermal expansion and temperature dependent x-ray diffraction together with measurements of the heat capacity, electrical transport measurements, and optical spectroscopy in untwinned single crystals. At $T_{\rm N}$ significant structural changes appear, which are volume conserving. Concomitant anomalies are also observed in the dc-resistivity, in bulk modulus...

High-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering has been used to determine the momentum dependence of orbital excitations in Mott-insulating LaTiO$_3$ and YTiO$_3$ over a wide range of the Brillouin zone. The data are compared to calculations in the framework of lattice-driven and superexchange-driven orbital ordering models. A superexchange model in which the experimentally observed modes are attributed to two-orbiton excitations yields the best description of the data.

We report on Raman scattering measurements of single crystalline La$_{1-x}$Sr$_x$MnO$_3$ ($x$=0, 0.06, 0.09 and 0.125), focusing on the high frequency regime. We observe multi-phonon scattering processes up to fourth-order which show distinct features: (i) anomalies in peak energy and its relative intensity and (ii) a pronounced temperature-, polarization-, and doping-dependence. These features suggest a mixed orbiton-phonon nature of the observed multi-phonon Raman spectra.

We calculated the polarization-dependent Raman scattering cross section spectra of LaMnO3 below the A-type magnetic ordering temperature. Two strong peaks appear around the MnO6 octahedra stretching phonon frequency. One mode shows Ag symmetry, while the other mode shows Bg symmetry. We found that the Ag symmetry peak is a Jahn-Teller phonon coupled to the orbital wave and the Bg symmetry peak is an orbital wave coupled to a Q2 phonon mode via the Jahn-Teller electron phonon ...

For La_(1 2/3)Sr_(1/3)NiO_4 -- a commensurately doped Mott-Hubbard system -- charge- and spin-ordering in a stripe phase has been investigated by phononic and magnetic Raman scattering. Formation of a superlattice and an opening of a pseudo-gap in the electron-hole excitation spectra as well as two types of double-spin excitations -- within the antiferromagnetic domain and across the domain wall -- are observed below the charge-ordering transition. The temperature dependence ...

We report infrared and Raman spectroscopy results of the spin-1/2 quantum magnet TiOCl. Giant anomalies are found in the temperature dependence of the phonon spectrum, which hint to unusual coupling of the electronic degrees of freedom to the lattice. These anomalies develop over a broad temperature interval, suggesting the presence of an extended fluctuation regime. This defines a pseudo-gap phase, characterized by a local spin-gap. Below 100 K a dimensionality cross-over le...