Triplet and in-gap magnetic states in the ground state of the quantum frustrated FCC antiferromagnet Ba2YMoO6

Abstract

The geometrically frustrated double perovskite Ba2YMoO6 is characterized by quantum s=1/2 spins at the Mo5+ sites of an undistorted face-centered cubic (FCC) lattice. Previous low-temperature characterization revealed an absence of static long-range magnetic order and suggested a non-magnetic spin-singlet ground state. We report new time-of-flight and triple-axis neutron spectroscopy of Ba2YMoO6 that shows a 28 meV spin excitation with a bandwidth of ~4 meV, which vanishes above ~125 K. We identify this as the singlet-triplet excitation out of a singlet ground state, and further identify a weaker continuum of magnetic states within the gap, reminiscent of spin-polaron states arising due to weak disorder.

Accepted to Phys. Rev. B