Abstract
A possible mechanism for the removal of the orbital degeneracy in (where is considered. The calculation is based on the Kugel-Khomskii Hamiltonian for electrons residing in the orbitals of the Ti ions, and uses a self-consistent perturbation expansion in the interaction between the orbital and the spin degrees of freedom. The latter are assumed to be ordered in a Néel state, brought about by delicate interactions that are not included in the Kugel-Khomskii Hamiltonian. Within our model calculations, each of the bands is found to acquire a finite, temperature-dependent dispersion that lifts the orbital degeneracy. The orbital excitations are found to be heavily damped over a rather wide band. Consequently, they do not participate as a separate branch of excitations in the low-temperature thermodynamics.
- Received 10 February 2003
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.67.214418
©2003 American Physical Society