The Magnetic Ground State of Atacamite Cu$_2$Cl(OH)$_3$: The Crucial Role of Frustrated Zigzag Chains Revealed by Inelastic Neutron Scattering
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arXiv
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| Autori principali: | , , , , , , , |
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| Natura: | Preprint |
| Pubblicazione: |
2025
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| _version_ | 1866908898620866560 |
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| author | Allen, J. L. Stödter, L. Mole, R. A. Süllow, S. Janson, O. Nishimoto, S. Lewis, R. A. Rule, K. C. |
| author_facet | Allen, J. L. Stödter, L. Mole, R. A. Süllow, S. Janson, O. Nishimoto, S. Lewis, R. A. Rule, K. C. |
| contents | We report inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements on the magnetically frustrated $S=\frac12$ sawtooth-chain compound atacamite Cu$_2$Cl(OH)$_3$ featuring inequivalent Cu(1) and Cu(2) sites. Transverse to the sawtooth chains, INS reveals two dispersive spin-wave modes and a gap of at least 0.75 meV. This behavior is rationalized within a zigzag-chain model of Cu(2) spins in an effective magnetic field of Cu(1) spins. The model is compatible with first-principles calculations and accounts for INS dispersions within linear spin-wave theory calculations. Our results reveal a unique case of an effective separation of energy scales between two differently oriented one-dimensional chains, with the zigzag-chain model being essential to fully characterize atacamite's low-energy magnetism. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2508_02201 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2025 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | The Magnetic Ground State of Atacamite Cu$_2$Cl(OH)$_3$: The Crucial Role of Frustrated Zigzag Chains Revealed by Inelastic Neutron Scattering Allen, J. L. Stödter, L. Mole, R. A. Süllow, S. Janson, O. Nishimoto, S. Lewis, R. A. Rule, K. C. Strongly Correlated Electrons Other Condensed Matter We report inelastic neutron scattering (INS) measurements on the magnetically frustrated $S=\frac12$ sawtooth-chain compound atacamite Cu$_2$Cl(OH)$_3$ featuring inequivalent Cu(1) and Cu(2) sites. Transverse to the sawtooth chains, INS reveals two dispersive spin-wave modes and a gap of at least 0.75 meV. This behavior is rationalized within a zigzag-chain model of Cu(2) spins in an effective magnetic field of Cu(1) spins. The model is compatible with first-principles calculations and accounts for INS dispersions within linear spin-wave theory calculations. Our results reveal a unique case of an effective separation of energy scales between two differently oriented one-dimensional chains, with the zigzag-chain model being essential to fully characterize atacamite's low-energy magnetism. |
| title | The Magnetic Ground State of Atacamite Cu$_2$Cl(OH)$_3$: The Crucial Role of Frustrated Zigzag Chains Revealed by Inelastic Neutron Scattering |
| topic | Strongly Correlated Electrons Other Condensed Matter |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2508.02201 |