Threshold effect and the continuum of spin excitations in the octupolar quantum spin ice Ce2Sn2O7
Our recent measurements on the pyrochlore magnet Ce2Sn2O7 demonstrate that a quantum liquid of magnetic octupoles develops below about 1 K in this material. This exotic state is qualitatively new and was revealed by experiments using thermal neutrons, in which a liquid-like signal appears at high momentum transfer due to the peculiar form factor of higher-rank multipoles. Our current understanding of this remarkable phase of matter is that spin excitations have a dipolar character and thus should be measurable using low-energy inelastic spectroscopy. This indeed appears to be the case based on a short test experiment on IN5. We propose to measure the excitation spectrum of Ce2Sn2O7 in greater details using IN16B, in order to gain energy resolution. In particular, we will finely characterise the lower edge of the continuum, for which precise theoretical predictions are newly available and indicate that a 'threshold' effect should be observed in quantum spin ices. We expect these results will complement our existing data and will contribute to provide a 'smoking-gun' signature of a 3D quantum spin liquid - a rare opportunity in general, and a great one for backscattering!
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Romain Sibille; APPEL Markus; FENNELL Tom; LHOTEL Elsa; PETIT Sylvain and POREE Victor. (2021). Threshold effect and the continuum of spin excitations in the octupolar quantum spin ice Ce2Sn2O7. Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) doi:10.5291/ILL-DATA.4-05-771
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