Measurement of magnetic excitations in the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic Sr2CuO2Cl2 insulator using resonant x-ray scattering:Evidence for extended interactions


Abstract in English

Using high-resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS), we performed a momentum-resolved study of magnetic excitations in the model spin-1/2 2D antiferromagnetic insulator Sr_2CuCl_2O_2. We identify both a single-spin-wave feature and a multi-magnon continuum, and show that the X-ray polarization can be used to distinguish these two contributions in the cross-section. The spin-waves display a large (70 meV) dispersion between the zone-boundary points ($pi$,0) and ($pi$/2,$pi$/2). Employing an extended $t$-$t$-$t$-$U$ one-band Hubbard model, we find significant electronic hopping beyond nearest-neighbor Cu ions. We conclude that sizeable extended magnetic interactions are present in scoc{} and probably important in all undoped cuprates.

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