Probing high-energy electronic excitations using inelastic neutron scattering

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that high-energy inelastic neutron scattering can effectively probe local electronic excitations in magnetic insulators, revealing multiplet d-electron excitations influenced by crystal field and spin-orbit coupling.

Contribution

It introduces inelastic neutron scattering as a novel method for studying high-energy electronic excitations in systems with strong crystal field and spin-orbit interactions.

Findings

Revealed multiplet d-electron excitations in NiO.

Confirmed neutron scattering as a reliable probe for electronic excitations.

Aligned neutron scattering results with optical and x-ray measurements.

Abstract

High-energy, local multiplet excitations of the d-electrons are revealed in our inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the prototype magnetic insulator NiO. These become allowed by the presence of both non-zero crystal field and spin-orbit coupling. The observed excitations are consistent with optical, x-ray, and EELS measurements of d-d excitations. This experiment serves as a proof of principle that high-energy neutron spectroscopy is a reliable and useful technique for probing electronic excitations in systems with significant crystal field and spin-orbit interactions.