Abstract
Recently it was predicted theoretically and confirmed experimentally that in cuprates single-magnon dispersions can be mapped out with resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) at the copper edge. To further establish RIXS as a viable technique we investigate the momentum and incident photon polarization dependence of the single-magnon spectral weight in a variety of layered undoped antiferromagnetic compounds. The agreement of experimental and theoretical results bolsters the assignment of RIXS spectral features to single magnons. This detailed analysis allows to disentangle single-magnon scattering from other spectral contributions. Moreover, it is a necessary premise for future research aimed at investigating processes that modulate spectral weights beyond the predictions of linear spin-wave theory.
- Received 29 March 2010
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.81.174533
©2010 American Physical Society