Quasi-one-dimensional spin excitations in the iron pnictide NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As

TL;DR

This study uses neutron scattering to reveal quasi-one-dimensional spin excitations in NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As, showing how atomic order induces 1D magnetic behavior with potential for discovering low-dimensional quantum materials.

Contribution

It provides direct experimental evidence of quasi-1D spin excitations in a correlated iron pnictide, linking atomic order to magnetic dimensionality reduction.

Findings

Dominant antiferromagnetic exchange along chains (~90 meV)

Weak inter-chain couplings (~2 meV)

Resemblance to FeSe spin excitations

Abstract

Spectroscopic measurements in model one-dimensional (1D) correlated systems offer insights for understanding their two-dimensional counterparts, which include the cuprate and iron pnictide/chalcogenide superconductors. A major challenge is the identification of such correlated systems with dominantly 1D physics. In this work, inelastic neutron scattering measurements on NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As single crystal directly reveal quasi-1D spin excitations, resulting from atomic order that lead to magnetic Fe and nonmagnetic Cu chains. The dominant exchange interaction is antiferromagnetic along the chain ($SJ_{\rm \parallel}\approx90.1(3)$~meV), whereas the inter-chain couplings are much weaker ($SJ_{\rm \perp}\approx-2.4(1)$~meV and $SJ_{\rm c}\approx0.15(5)$~meV). The quasi-1D spin excitations in NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As stem from both the N\'eel and stripe vectors, with N\'eel excitations sensitive to Fe impurities on the Cu site. The spin excitations in quasi-1D NaFe$_{0.53}$Cu$_{0.47}$As and quasi-2D FeSe exhibit a striking resemblance, suggesting a common origin for their coexistent stripe and N\'eel excitations. Our findings demonstrate magnetic dilution in NaFeAs leads to dimension reduction of its magnetic degree of freedom, presenting a strategy for discovering low-dimensional quantum materials.