Magnetic ground state of the dimer-based hexagonal perovskite Ba${}_3$ZnRu${}_2$O${}_9$

Abstract

We investigate the magnetic ground state of single crystals of the ruthenium-dimer-based hexagonal perovskite Ba${}_3$ZnRu${}_2$O${}_9$ using magnetic susceptibility and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) measurements. While a previous study on powder samples exhibited intriguing magnetic behavior, questions about whether the spin state within a Ru${}_2$O${}_9$ dimer is a conventional $S=3/2$ dimer or an orbital-selective $S=1$ dimer were raised. The RIXS spectra reveal magnetic excitations from Hund's intraionic multiplet and intradimer spin-triplet transitions. The observed transition energies of the Hund's intraionic multiplets align with the $S=3/2$ ground state, contrasting with the theoretically proposed orbital-selective $S=1$ dimer state. High-temperature magnetic susceptibility analysis confirms the realization of the spin $S=3/2$ dimer state, and the extracted intradimer coupling is consistent with the spin-triplet transition energy observed in the RIXS spectra. These results highlights the ability of "spectroscopic fingerprinting" by RIXS to determine the magnetic ground states of complex materials.

References in corpus (8)

• Observation of spin-orbit excitations and Hund's multiplets in Ca${}_2$RuO${}_4$
• Spin waves and spin-state transitions in a ruthenate high-temperature antiferromagnet
• Absence of magnetic long range order in Ba${}_3$ZnRu${}_2$O${}_9$: A spin-liquid candidate in the $S=3/2$ dimer lattice
• Distinct spin and orbital dynamics in Sr${}_2$RuO${}_4$
• Enhancement of magnetodielectric coupling in 6H-perovskites Ba3RRu2O9 for heavier rare earth cations (R=Ho,Tb)
• Cooperative Ru(4d)-Ho(4f) magnetic orderings and phase coexistence in the 6H-perovskite multiferroic Ba3HoRu2O9
• Spin and charge excitations in the correlated multiband metal Ca3Ru2O7
• Origin of spin-driven ferroelectricity and effect of external pressure on the complex magnetism of 6H-perovskite Ba3HoRu2O9

Cited by in corpus (1)

• Unconventional S-orbital state of Tb and cooperative Ru(4d)-Tb(4f) spin-ordering in strongly correlated 4d-4f system, Ba3TbRu2O9