Bond Randomness Induced Magnon Decoherence in a Spin-1/2 Ladder Compound

We have used a combination of neutron resonant spin-echo and triple-axis spectroscopies to determine the energy and linewidth of the magnon resonance in IPA-Cu(Cl$_{0.95}$Br$_{0.05}$)$_3$, a model spin-1/2 ladder antiferromagnet where Br substitution induces bond randomness. We find that the bond defects induce a blueshift, $delta Delta$, and broadening, $delta Gamma$, of the magnon gap excitation compared to the pure compound. At temperatures exceeding the energy scale of the inter-ladder exchange interactions, $delta Delta$ and $delta Gamma$ are temperature independent within the experimental error, in agreement with Matthiessens rule according to which magnon-defect scattering yields a temperature independent contribution to the magnon mean free path. Upon cooling, $delta Delta$ and $delta Gamma$ become temperature dependent and saturate at values lower than those observed at higher temperature, consistent with the crossover from one-dimensional to two-dimensional spin correlations with decreasing temperature previously observed in pure IPA-CuCl$_3$. These results indicate limitations in the applicability of Matthiessens rule for magnon scattering in low-dimensional magnets.

Low Temperature Dynamics of Magnons in a Spin-1/2 Ladder Compound

We have used a combination of neutron resonant spin-echo and triple-axis spectroscopies to determine the energy, fine structure, and linewidth of the magnon resonance in the model spin-1/2 ladder antiferromagnet IPA-CuCl_3 at temperatures T << Delta_0 /k_B, where Delta_0 is the spin gap at T=0. In this low-temperature regime we find that the results deviate substantially from the predictions of the non-linear sigma model proposed as a description of magnon excitations in one-dimensional quantum magnets and attribute these deviations to real-space and spin-space anisotropies in the spin Hamiltonian as well as scattering of magnon excitations from a dilute density of impurities. These effects are generic to experimental realizations of one-dimensional quantum magnets.

Evidence of a magnetic Bose glass in IPA-Cu(Cl0.95Br0.05)3 from neutron diffraction

We report the single crystal study of the bulk magnetization and neutron scattering measurements on a quantum S=1/2 spin ladders system IPA-Cu(Cl0.95Br0.05)3with quenched disorder. In zero field, the disordered spin liquid phase is preserved as in pure IPA-CuCl3. Due to the bond randomness, a different Bose glass phase was directly observed in Hc<H<H, which separates the spin liquid phase from the unconventional Bose-Einstein condensation phase. The observed finite value of boson compressibility dM/dH and lack of field-induced three-dimensional long range order are consistent with the theoretical prediction.