ISIS Neutron and Muon Source Data Journal

Inelastic neutron scattering study on the spin dynamics of honeycomb antiferromagnet Ba2Co(PO4)2

Abstract: We propose to investigate the spin dynamics of the honeycomb antiferromagnet Ba2Co(PO4)2 using inelastic neutron scattering on the LET spectrometer. This S=1/2 system is isostructural to Ba2Ni(PO4)2, where we recently observed dispersive quadrupolar excitations. Ba2Co(PO4)2 exhibits an antiferromagnetic transition at 4.5 K and a 1/3 magnetization plateau at 2 K, suggesting complex magnetic interactions. The substitution of Co2+ for Ni2+ introduces strong spin-orbit coupling while preserving structural anisotropy, potentially stabilizing novel multipolar orders. Theoretical simulations predict hybridized quadrupolar excitations below 4 meV. Using multi-Ei mode with incident energies of ~3 meV and ~5 meV, we will map the complete excitation spectrum at 1.6 K and 20 K to resolve low-energy multipolar modes and establish connections between microscopic interactions and macroscopic properties.

Principal Investigator: Dr Zhilun Lu
Local Contact: Dr George Wood
Experimenter: Dr Jie Ma
Local Contact: Dr Ross Stewart

DOI: 10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610353

ISIS Experiment Number: RB2610353

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 Zhilun Lu et al; (2026): Inelastic neutron scattering study on the spin dynamics of honeycomb antiferromagnet Ba2Co(PO4)2, STFC ISIS Neutron and Muon Source, https://doi.org/10.5286/ISIS.E.RB2610353

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