Inelastic neutron scattering measurements were performed on single crystal Co3V2O8 wherein magnetic cobalt ions reside on distinct spine and cross-tie sites within kagome staircase planes. This system displays a rich magnetic phase diagram which culminates in a ferromagnetic ground state below Tc~6 K. We have studied the low-lying magnetic excitations in this phase within the kagome plane. Despite the complexity of the system at higher temperatures, linear spin-wave theory describes most of the quantitative detail of the inelastic neutron measurements. Our results show two spin-wave branches, the higher energy of which displays finite spin-wave lifetimes well below Tc, and negligible magnetic exchange coupling between Co moments on the spine sites.
@article{arxiv.0804.1929,
title = {Spin Waves in the Ferromagnetic Ground State of the Kagome Staircase System Co3V2O8},
author = {M. Ramazanoglu and C. P. Adams and J. P. Clancy and A. J. Berlinsky and Z. Yamani and R. Szymczak and H. Szymczak and J. Fink-Finowicki and B. D. Gaulin},
journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:0804.1929},
year = {2009}
}