Three-Magnon Bound State in the Quasi-1d Antiferromagnet α-NaMnO2
October 5, 2020
(a) Measured excitation spectrum of α-NaMnO2 and (b) cuts through the antiferromagnetic zone center (white dashed line in (a)) demonstrating the observation n=1, n=2, and n=3 magnon modes.
Scientific Achievement
A three-magnon bound state is observed in the quasi-1d antiferromagnet α-NaMnO2 and can be described by a semiclassical theory that maps the excitations onto a few-body droplet model of interacting bosons.
Significance and Impact
This work establishes a strong analogy between the physics of interacting magnons in antiferromagnets with uniaxial anisotropy and interacting bosons typically studied via ultracold atoms experiments.
Research Details
- The magnetic excitation spectrum was measured with inelastic neutron scattering, with the observation of single magnons as well as two and three-magnon bound states.
- The results were well-described by a semi-classical theory with spectral functions calculated using density matrix renormalization group and time evolution calculations.
“Three-Magnon Bound State in the Quasi-One-Dimensional Antiferromagnet α-NaMnO2”
Rebecca L. Dally, Alvin J. R. Heng, Anna Keselman, Mitchell M. Bordelon, Matthew B. Stone, Leon Balents, and Stephen D. Wilson,
Physical Review Letters, 124, 197203 (2020).
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.124.197203
