Momentum dependent light scattering in insulating cuprates

TL;DR

This paper models inelastic x-ray scattering in insulating cuprates using a spin-wave approach, providing insights into spectral features relevant for experimental interpretation.

Contribution

It derives a momentum-dependent scattering operator and analyzes spectra considering magnon interactions, advancing understanding of light scattering in cuprate antiferromagnets.

Findings

Spectral shapes are qualitatively determined by the analysis.

Magnon-magnon interactions significantly influence the spectra.

Results may aid in interpreting experimental data.

Abstract

We investigate the problem of inelastic x-ray scattering in the spin$-{1/2}$ Heisenberg model on the square lattice. We first derive a momentum dependent scattering operator for the $A_{1g}$ and $B_{1g}$ polarization geometries. On the basis of a spin-wave analysis, including magnon-magnon interactions and exact-diagonalizations, we determine the qualitative shape of the spectra. We argue that our results may be relevant to help interpret inelastic x-ray scattering experiments in the antiferromagnetic phase of the cuprates.