Neutron Scattering Studies of the Breathing Pyrochlore Antiferromagnet LiGaCr${}_4$O${}_8$

Abstract

We report neutron scattering measurements of the spinel oxide LiGaCr${}_4$O${}_8$, in which magnetic ions Cr${}^{3+}$ form a breathing pyrochlore lattice. Our experiments reveal the coexistence of a nearly dispersionless resonance mode and dispersive spin wave excitations in the magnetically ordered state, which can be quantitatively described by a quantum spin model of hexagonal loops and linear spin wave theory with the same set of exchange parameters, respectively. Comparison to other Cr spinel oxides reveals a linear relationship between the resonance energy and lattice constant across all these materials, which is in agreement with our hexagonal loop calculations. Our results suggest a unified picture for spin resonances in Cr spinel oxides.

17 pages, 4 figures