The nature of spin excitations in the one-third magnetization plateau phase of Ba3CoSb2O9

Y. Kamiya (), L. Ge, Tao Hong, Y. Qiu, D. L. Quintero-Castro, Z. Lu, H. B. Cao, M. Matsuda, E. S. Choi, C. D. Batista, M. Mourigal, H. D. Zhou and J. Ma ()
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Y. Kamiya: RIKEN, Wako
L. Ge: Georgia Institute of Technology
Tao Hong: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
Y. Qiu: National Institute of Standards and Technology
D. L. Quintero-Castro: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
Z. Lu: Helmholtz-Zentrum Berlin für Materialien und Energie
H. B. Cao: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
M. Matsuda: Oak Ridge National Laboratory
E. S. Choi: Florida State University
C. D. Batista: University of Tennessee
M. Mourigal: Georgia Institute of Technology
H. D. Zhou: Florida State University
J. Ma: University of Tennessee

Nature Communications, 2018, vol. 9, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract Magnetization plateaus in quantum magnets—where bosonic quasiparticles crystallize into emergent spin superlattices—are spectacular yet simple examples of collective quantum phenomena escaping classical description. While magnetization plateaus have been observed in a number of spin-1/2 antiferromagnets, the description of their magnetic excitations remains an open theoretical and experimental challenge. Here, we investigate the dynamical properties of the triangular-lattice spin-1/2 antiferromagnet Ba3CoSb2O9 in its one-third magnetization plateau phase using a combination of nonlinear spin-wave theory and neutron scattering measurements. The agreement between our theoretical treatment and the experimental data demonstrates that magnons behave semiclassically in the plateau in spite of the purely quantum origin of the underlying magnetic structure. This allows for a quantitative determination of Ba3CoSb2O9 exchange parameters. We discuss the implication of our results to the deviations from semiclassical behavior observed in zero-field spin dynamics of the same material and conclude they must have an intrinsic origin.

Date: 2018
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-018-04914-1

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