RIXS Identification of Optical Phonon-Spin Coupling Effects in CrSBr

Abstract

Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering provides experimental signatures of spin-phonon coupling in CrSBr through temperature-dependent Cr $L$-edge spectra. Low-energy excitations are observed exclusively in the low-temperature antiferromagnetic phase as energy-loss features. A quasi-elastic peak at approximately 42 meV is observed under $\pi$-polarization. Density functional theory phonon-mode calculations identify these RIXS features as occurring within the same energy range as bond-bending optical phonon modes associated with distortions of the Cr--S--Cr network. The pronounced suppression of these low-energy excitations upon warming into the paramagnetic phase, together with their polarization dependence, the calculated phonon spectrum, and a spin-renormalized electron-phonon RIXS framework, indicates a strong interplay between magnetic correlations and lattice dynamics. While the loss features appear at energies characteristic of optical phonons, the significant overlap of the optical-phonon and magnon bands suggests that the temperature-dependent behavior should not be regarded as purely lattice-derived excitations. Instead, the room-temperature suppression of the low-energy RIXS peaks is explained in terms of a spin-phonon coupling effect on the $L$-edge electron-phonon RIXS mechanism. The interpretation is supported by the combined experimental observations, phonon calculations, and theoretical modeling, rather than by temperature contrast alone. These results support spin-phonon coupling as a plausible and consistent interpretation of the observed temperature-dependent RIXS response and demonstrate that magnetic order can strongly influence phonon-related spectral weight in the RIXS spectrum.