ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Study of Higher Energy Spin Dynamics in Frustrated MnCr2S4 Using Inelastic Neutron Scattering

Abstract: Frustrated spinel compound MnCr2S4 shows two consecutive transitions at T_c = 65 K to a ferrimagnetic state and at T_YK = 5 K to the Yafet-Kittel (YK) phase. Ultrasound and magnetization experiments on MnCr2S4 revealed a series of field-driven phase transitions too. In analogy to the quantum-lattice gas models it was proposed that the zero field phase below T_YK and the field-induced phases can be described as exotic spin superfluid and spin supersolid states of quantum nature, respectively. With our preliminary powder INS measurements at OSIRIS, we successfully observed presence of low energy excitation modes up to 5 meV and its thermal evolution. However, it also looks that the low-energy modes observed at 50 K near 2-3 meV energy transfer move to higher energy sides (above 5 meV) with decreasing temperature below 50 K. However, due to the maximum energy (5 meV) transfer limitation of the OSIRIS instrument for a clean signal without background scattering, we could not verify that. Hence, to study such thermal evolution towards higher energy sides and by that to acquire more systematic and comprehensive picture, we need further detailed zero-field INS measurements on MnCr2S4 powder with transfer energy >5 meV on MERLIN. Completion of these measurements will provide details of the spin excitation spectra emerging from the exotic spin-superfluid magnetic ground state and ferrimagnetic phase above, and will allow to determine precisely the ingredients of the spin Hamiltonian.

Principal Investigator: Dr Sumanta Chattopadhyay
Experimenter: Dr Devashi Adroja
Local Contact: Dr Duc Le

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510250

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2510250

Publisher: STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source

Data format: RAW/Nexus
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Data Citation

The recommended format for citing this dataset in a research publication is as:
[author], [date], [title], [publisher], [doi]

For Example:
Dr Sumanta Chattopadhyay et al; (2025): Study of Higher Energy Spin Dynamics in Frustrated MnCr2S4 Using Inelastic Neutron Scattering, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2510250

Data is released under the CC-BY-4.0 license.