Experimental studies of the magnetic and phonon excitations in cobalt fluoride

Abstract

The excitations of cobalt fluoride have been studied with the technique of slow-neutron inelastic scattering. A triple-axis crystal spectrometer was used throughout in its constant Q mode of operation. Several of the branches of the phonon spectra were measured and are in reasonable agreement with calculations based on a very simple rigid ion model. The magnetic excitations are of interest because the Co 2+ ion has unpaired orbital angular momentum which gives rise to several low-lying energy levels. Excitations have been observed from the ground state to the next three excited states in the antiferromagnetic phase and their dispersion and temperature dependence obtained below, near, and above the Néel temperature. The temperature dependences of the excitations to the different excited states are not the same. The measurements on the magnetic excitation branch of lowest frequency show that, contrary to current theories of magnetism, fairly well-defined magnetic excitations occur to at least 1.5T N Another excitation, which gave a weak scattering intensity, was also observed and it is suggested that this may be associated with a distortion of the crystal structure.