Spin Correlations in the Two-Dimensional Spin-5/2 Heisenberg Antiferromagnet Rb2MnF4

TL;DR

This neutron scattering study investigates spin correlations in the 2D spin-5/2 Heisenberg antiferromagnet Rb2MnF4, revealing quantitative agreement with high-temperature series and harmonic approximation theories, and observing a crossover from Heisenberg to Ising behavior near the Neel temperature.

Contribution

The paper provides a detailed experimental analysis of spin correlations in Rb2MnF4, demonstrating the applicability of specific theoretical models and identifying a crossover in critical behavior.

Findings

Correlation lengths match high-temperature series predictions

Data lie outside renormalized classical regime of the sigma model

Crossover from Heisenberg to Ising behavior near Neel temperature

Abstract

We report a neutron scattering study of the instantaneous spin correlations in the two-dimensional spin S=5/2 square-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet Rb_2MnF_4. The measured correlation lengths are quantitatively described, with no adjustable parameters, by high-temperature series expansion results and by a theory based on the quantum self-consistent harmonic approximation. Conversely, we find that the data, which cover the range from about 1 to 50 lattice constants, are outside of the regime corresponding to renormalized classical behavior of the quantum non-linear sigma model. In addition, we observe a crossover from Heisenberg to Ising critical behavior near the Neel temperature; this crossover is well described by a mean-field model with no adjustable parameters.