Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering on single-magnons at oxygen $K$-edges

Abstract

The recent discovery that resonant inelastic x-ray scattering can probe single-magnon (SM) dispersions in transition metal (TM) oxides when the x-ray energy is tuned to the TM $L$-edge, has put this technique on a par with inelastic neutron scattering. It is generally presumed that selection rules forbid SM-scattering at oxygen (O) $K$-edges. However, based on a symmetry analysis and exact diagonalization study, we show that SM-scattering at O K-edges becomes allowed when (i) spin-orbit coupling is present in the TM d-shell and (ii) inversion symmetry at the O-site is broken. For cuprates the resulting SM-amplitude is very weak but in iridates both prerequisites can amply be fulfilled.

5 pages, 4 figures, Supplementary materials (2 pages, 2 figures)

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Cited by in corpus (5)

• Theoretical Understanding of Photon Spectroscopies in Correlated Materials In and Out of Equilibrium
• Dispersive Magnetic and Electronic Excitations in Iridate Perovskites Probed with Oxygen $K$-Edge Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering
• Novel spin-orbit coupling driven emergent states in iridate-based heterostructures
• Orbital-selective confinement effect of Ru $4d$ orbitals in SrRuO${}_3$ ultrathin film
• Unraveling higher-order corrections in the spin dynamics of RIXS spectra