The crystalline electric field as a probe for long range antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity in CeFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$

TL;DR

This study employs inelastic neutron scattering to investigate how crystalline electric field excitations of Ce$^{3+}$ reveal the interplay between antiferromagnetic order and superconductivity in CeFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$, highlighting their potential as probes for spin dynamics.

Contribution

It demonstrates that CEF excitations can serve as sensitive probes for magnetic and superconducting states in CeFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_x$, providing new insights into their spin dynamics.

Findings

CEF levels split into six singlets in antiferromagnetic CeFeAsO

CEF levels remain as three doublets in superconducting CeFeAsO$_{0.84}$F$_{0.16}$

An anomaly at $T_c$ indicates enhanced local magnetic susceptibility

Abstract

We use inelastic neutron scattering to study the crystalline electric field (CEF) excitations of Ce$^{3+}$ in CeFeAsO$_{1-x}$F$_{x}$($x=0,0.16$). For nonsuperconducting CeFeAsO, the Ce CEF levels have three magnetic doublets in the paramagnetic state, but these doublets split into six singlets when Fe ions order antiferromagnetically. For superconducting CeFeAsO$_{0.84}$F$_{0.16}$ ($T_c=41$ K), where the static AF order is suppressed, the Ce CEF levels have three magnetic doublets at $\hbar\omega=0,18.7,58.4$ meV at all temperatures. Careful measurements of the intrinsic linewidth $\Gamma$ and the peak position of the 18.7 meV mode reveal clear anomaly at $T_c$, consistent with a strong enhancement of local magnetic susceptibility $\chi^{\prime\prime}(\hbar\omega)$ below $T_c$. These results suggest that CEF excitations in the rare-earth oxypnictides can be used as a probe of spin dynamics in the nearby FeAs planes.