Fractional spinon excitations in the quantum Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain

Assemblies of interacting quantum particles often surprise us with properties that are difficult to predict. One of the simplest quantum many-body systems is the spin 1/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnetic chain, a linear array of interacting magnetic moments. Its exact ground state is a macroscopic singlet entangling all spins in the chain. Its elementary excitations, called spinons, are fractional spin 1/2 quasiparticles; they are created and detected in pairs by neutron scattering. Theoretical predictions show that two-spinon states exhaust only 71% of the spectral weight while higher-order spinon states, yet to be experimentally located, are predicted to participate in the remaining. Here, by accurate absolute normalization of our inelastic neutron scattering data on a compound realizing the model, we account for the full spectral weight to within 99(8)%. Our data thus establish and quantify the existence of higher-order spinon states. The observation that within error bars, the entire weight is confined within the boundaries of the two-spinon continuum, and that the lineshape resembles a rescaled two-spinon one, allow us to develop a simple physical picture for understanding multi-spinon excitations.Comment: 22 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary material

The phase diagram of the betaine arsenate-phosphate mixed crystal system by measurement of the dielectric hysteresis and current curves

The ferroelectric (FE) betaine arsenate (BA) and the antiferroelectric (AF) betaine phosphate (BP) are structurally very closely related and mixed crystals of BAxBP1-x can be grown over the whole concentration range. The concentration (x) – temperature (T) – pressure (P) phase diagram of the system is characterized by a transition from an AF to a FE phase along with the appearance of some mixed regions on changing concentration. Depending on concentration, one or two relaxation processes appear in the low temperature region of the phase diagram. Measurement of the hysteresis loops and the current curves have been carried out along the (x-T-P)-phase diagram of this system. Multiple loops have been observed in various regions of the phase diagram. The correlation of the different contributions of the polarization and the temperature behavior of their critical fields with the main features of the temperature and frequency dependent dielectric constant enables clarification of the rich phase diagram obtained in this mixed compounds in terms of the ferro- and/or antiferroelectric interactions

Electron spin relaxation of the PO3 2- radical in ferroelectric betaine phosphite and in the proton glass betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite

Measurements of the electron spin-lattice relaxation time T1 and the phase memory time TM of the PO3 2- radical in γ-irradiated betaine phosphite and betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite are presented. The temperature dependence of T1 indicates the interaction of the electron spin with two groups of optical branches via Raman processes in both crystals. An additional relaxation path due to the interaction with two-level local tunneling states has been observed in the mixed crystal confirming glassy behaviour. The TM temperature dependence reflects thermally activated local motional effects of the PO3 group in both crystals. © 1994

Phase diagram of the betaine arsenate–betaine phosphate mixed-crystal system by dielectric hysteresis and current curves

The ferroelectric (FE) betaine arsenate (BA) and the antiferroelectric (AF) betaine phosphate (BP) are structurally very closely related and mixed crystals of BA(x)BP(1-x) can be grown over the whole concentration range. The concentration (x)-temperature (T)-pressure (P) phase diagram of the system is characterized by a transition from an AF to a FE phase along with the appearance of some mixed regions upon changing concentration. Depending on concentration, one or two relaxation processes appear in the low-temperature region of the phase diagram. Measurement of the hysteresis loops and the current curves have been carried out along the (x-T-P)-phase diagram of this system. Multiple loops have been observed in various regions of the phase diagram. The correlation of the different contributions of the polarization and the temperature behavior of their critical fields with the main features of the temperature- and frequency-dependent dielectric constant enables clarification of the rich phase diagram obtained in this mixed compound in terms of the ferro- and/or antiferroelectric interactions.info:eu-repo/semantics/publishedVersio

Effect of glycine substitution on the ferroelectric phase of betaine arsenate [(CH3)(3)NCH2COO center dot H3AsO4]

The present work reports an experimental investigation on the influence of glycine(NH2CH2COOH) substitution in the polar properties and the critical dynamics of the molecular ferroelectric betaine arsenate,(CH3)(3)NCH2COO center dot H3AsO4. The dielectric dispersion (20 Hz < v < 3 MHz) and the thermally induced displacement currents are investigated in detail over the extended Curie region of the system (130 K < T < 100 K). The results obtained for a single crystal with nominal glycine content of 20% are analyzed, compared with those obtained for pure betaine arsenate and discussed within the scope of a phenomenological Landau model previously used to describe a system with competing ferroelectric and structural instabilities. (C) 2011 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.The authors wish to thank to Prof. M. R. Chaves. This work was supported by Fundacao para a Ciencia e Tecnologia through the Grant SFRH/BPD/26931/2006

Electron spin relaxation of the PO3 2- radical in ferroelectric betaine phosphite and in the proton glass betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite

Measurements of the electron spin-lattice relaxation time T1 and the phase memory time TM of the PO3 2- radical in γ-irradiated betaine phosphite and betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite are presented. The temperature dependence of T1 indicates the interaction of the electron spin with two groups of optical branches via Raman processes in both crystals. An additional relaxation path due to the interaction with two-level local tunneling states has been observed in the mixed crystal confirming glassy behaviour. The TM temperature dependence reflects thermally activated local motional effects of the PO3 group in both crystals. © 1994

Electron spin relaxation of the PO3 2- radical in ferroelectric betaine phosphite and in the proton glass betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite

Measurements of the electron spin-lattice relaxation time T1 and the phase memory time TM of the PO3 2- radical in γ-irradiated betaine phosphite and betaine phosphate/betaine phosphite are presented. The temperature dependence of T1 indicates the interaction of the electron spin with two groups of optical branches via Raman processes in both crystals. An additional relaxation path due to the interaction with two-level local tunneling states has been observed in the mixed crystal confirming glassy behaviour. The TM temperature dependence reflects thermally activated local motional effects of the PO3 group in both crystals. © 1994