ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Investigation of Octahedral Distortions and Their Influence on Magnetic and Phononic Excitations in a Columbite-Structured Niobate

Abstract: Columbite-structured NiNb2O6 features magnetic Ni2+ ions arranged in chains along the crystallographic c-axis, where ferromagnetic superexchange dominates, while weaker antiferromagnetic interactions occur between chains. This leads to a quasi-one-dimensional magnetic behavior with orthorhombic anisotropy that, although subtle at high temperatures, becomes significant at low temperatures, influencing spin dynamics and magnetic excitations. Single-ion anisotropy causes splitting of crystal-field levels and affects the orientation of ordered magnetic moments within the ac plane, aligned along local easy axes. Inelastic neutron scattering provides a unique opportunity to probe the magnetic excitation spectrum and it s coupling to lattice vibrations driven by octahedral distortions. This investigation will deepen understanding of the interplay between low-dimensional magnetism, anisotropy, and spin phonon coupling in NiNb2O6, a representative columbite-type magnetic oxide.

Principal Investigator: Dr Tathamay Basu
Experimenter: Dr Devashi Adroja
Experimenter: Mr Sayan Ghosh
Experimenter: Miss Ekta Kushwaha
Experimenter: Mr Mohit Kumar Kumar
Experimenter: Mr Gourab Roy
Local Contact: Dr Duc Le

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2590216

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2590216

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 Tathamay Basu et al; (2025): Investigation of Octahedral Distortions and Their Influence on Magnetic and Phononic Excitations in a Columbite-Structured Niobate, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2590216

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