We explore the spin dynamics emerging from the N\'eel phase of the chain compound antiferromagnet BaCo2V2O8. Our inelastic neutron scattering study reveals unconventional discrete spin excitations, so called Zeeman ladders, understood in terms of spinon confinement, due to the interchain attractive linear potential. These excitations consist in two interlaced series of modes, respectively with transverse and longitudinal polarization. The latter have no classical counterpart and are related to the zero-point fluctuations that weaken the ordered moment in weakly coupled quantum chains. Our analysis reveals that BaCo2V2O8, with moderate Ising anisotropy and sizable interchain interactions, remarkably fulfills the conditions necessary for the observation of these longitudinal excitations.
@article{arxiv.1407.0213,
title = {Longitudinal and Transverse Zeeman Ladders in the Ising-Like Chain Antiferromagnet BaCo2V2O8},
author = {B. Grenier and S. Petit and V. Simonet and L. -P. Regnault and E. Canévet and S. Raymond and B. Canals and C. Berthier and P. Lejay},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1407.0213},
year = {2015}
}
Comments
5 pages, 4 figures, 2 additional pages of supplemental material with 2 figures; Journal ref. added; 1 page erratum added at the end with 1 figure