arXiv subjects

Alexandre Ivanov

Publications and source records attributed to Alexandre Ivanov.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Magnetic Field Control of the N\'eel Vector and Magnon Visibility in Altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnetic order gives rise to momentum-dependent spin splitting of electronic and magnonic excitations even in the absence of a net magnetization. Here, we investigate the magnetic field dependence of the spin-wave spectrum of altermagnetic $\alpha$-MnTe using inelastic neutron scattering and linear spin-wave theory. An in-plane magnetic field continuously reorients the N\'eel vector by overcoming the weak crystalline anisotropy, while remaining small compared with the dominant exchange scale. We find that this reorientation leaves the magnon energies and line widths essentially unchanged, but strongly modifies the measured spectral intensity through the transverse-momentum projection. Our results demonstrate a clear separation between the soft orientational degree of freedom of the antiferromagnetic order and the robust exchange-dominated chiral magnon spectrum. This combination establishes $\alpha$-MnTe as a platform for reconfigurable magnon coupling, in which external fields tune how excitations interact with polarized probes without substantially altering their frequency or coherence.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Phonons reflect dynamic spin-state order in LaCoO$_3$

We investigate lattice dynamics in LaCoO$_3$ using inelastic neutron and x-ray scattering over $T = 2\mbox{-}650\,\mathrm{K}$, spanning the spin-state crossover at $T_{1} \approx 100\,\mathrm{K}$ and the insulator--metal transition at $T_{2} \approx 550\,\mathrm{K}$. Comparison with quasi-harmonic $ab-initio$ lattice-dynamical calculations helps reveal anomalous softening of a $\approx 10\,\mathrm{meV}$ oxygen phonon, confined to the temperature interval $T_{1} \leq T \leq T_{2}$ and localized in momentum space at $\boldsymbol{q}_{\mathrm{SSO}} = \left( \frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2} \right)_{c}$. This wave vector corresponds to the spin-state ordering originally proposed by Goodenough [J. Phys. Chem. Solids 6, 287-297 (1958)]. Our results therefore provide momentum-resolved evidence for dynamic correlations of high-spin and low-spin Co$^{3+}$ states in LaCoO$_{3}$, linking spin-state fluctuations to anomalous phonon renormalization.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Magnetic excitations in the Kitaev material Na$_2$IrO$_3$ studied by neutron scattering

Inelastic neutron scattering experiments with a large set of comounted Na$_2$IrO$_3$ crystals reveal the low-energy magnon dispersion in this candidate material for Kitaev physics. The magnon gap amounts to 1.7(1) meV and can be interpreted similarly to the sister compound $\alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$ to stem from the zone boundaries in the antiferromagnetic zigzag structure. The neutron experiments find no evidence for low-energy excitations with ferromagnetic character, which contrasts to the findings in $\alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$. Our results are consistent with a recently proposed microscopic model that involves an antiferromagnetic Heisenberg nearest-neighbor exchange in Na$_2$IrO$_3$ in contrast to the ferromagnetic one considered for $\alpha$-RuCl$_{3}$. Although the magnetic response shows the signatures of bond-directional anisotropy in both materials the different relative signs of Kitaev and Heisenberg interaction result in different deviations from the initial Kitaev model. Low-energy ferromagnetic fluctuations cannot be considered as a fingerprint of ferromagnetic Kitaev interaction.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

From chessboard of bipolarons of size 4a in cubic La7/8Sr1/8MnO3 to stripes of the same bipolarons in layered high Tc cuprates

The compound La1-xSrxMnO3 exhibits a charge order (CO) state at $x\approx 1/8$ and $T T_{co}$ which become ordered on a chessboard organized in a 3D-order state of ferromagnetically paired polarons at $T<T_{co}$. Applied to the CuO$_2$ planes of the cuprates of the "214" family, this model produces stripes of bipolarons intertwined with stripes of antiferromagnetically arranged spins, hole-poor, both of size $4a$, leading to a spin density wave with a wave vector $\delta=1/8$, a charge density wave with $q=1/4$, the Yamada laws $\delta(x)=x$ and $T_c\propto \delta$ and a decrease of $T_c$ at x=1/8. This work invokes relevance of a bipolaronic origin of high $T_c$ superconductivity, in which bipolarons of size $4a$ can play a major role.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Lattice dynamics of hexagonal ZnMgS

Inelastic neutron scattering measurements on the hexagonal Zn67Mg33S semiconductor alloy reveal a bimodal pattern of the optical modes across the Brillouin zone, confirmed by first-principles simulations. Such modes are sensitive to the local fluctuations in the composition inherent to random Zn/Mg alloying, distinguishing homo from hetero environments of a given bond (1-bond/2-mode), as is formalized for cubic alloys by the percolation model. The latter model thus emerges as a generic framework for systematizing the optical modes of semiconductor alloys in various crystal structures.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Spin-charge-lattice coupling across the charge density wave transition in a Kagome lattice antiferromagnet

Understanding spin and lattice excitations in a metallic magnetic ordered system form the basis to unveil the magnetic and lattice exchange couplings and their interactions with itinerant electrons. Kagome lattice antiferromagnet FeGe is interesting because it displays rare charge density wave (CDW) deep inside the antiferromagnetic ordered phase that interacts with the magnetic order. We use neutron scattering to study the evolution of spin and lattice excitations across the CDW transition $T_{\rm CDW}$ in FeGe. While spin excitations below $\sim$100 meV can be well described by spin waves of a spin-1 Heisenberg Hamiltonian, spin excitations at higher energies are centered around the Brillouin zone boundary and extend up to $\sim180$ meV consistent with quasiparticle excitations across spin-polarized electron-hole Fermi surfaces. Furthermore, $c$-axis spin wave dispersion and Fe-Ge optical phonon modes show a clear hardening below $T_{\rm CDW}$ due to spin-charge-lattice coupling but with no evidence for a phonon Kohn anomaly. By comparing our experimental results with density functional theory calculations in absolute units, we conclude that FeGe is a Hund's metal in the intermediate correlated regime where magnetism has contributions from both itinerant and localized electrons arising from spin polarized electronic bands near the Fermi level.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2024

The polarisation fluctuation length scale shaping the superconducting dome of SrTiO$_3$

Superconducting domes, ubiquitous across a variety of quantum materials, are often understood as a window favorite for pairing opened by the fluctuations of competing orders. Yet, a quantitative understanding of how such a window closes is missing. Here, we show that inelastic neutron scattering, by quantifying a length scale associated with polar fluctuations, $\ell_0$, addresses this issue. We find that the superconducting dome of strontium titanate definitely ends when $\ell_0$ vanishes. Moreover, the product of $\ell_0$ and the Fermi wavevector peaks close to the maximum critical temperature. Thus, this superconducting dome stems from the competition between the increase of the density of states and the unavoidable collapse of the quantum paraelectric phase, both induced by doping. The successful quantitative account of both the peak and the end of the superconducting dome implies a central role in the pairing mechanism played by the soft ferro-electric mode and its hybridisation with the acoustic branch. Such a scenario may also be at work in other quantum paraelectric materials, either bulk or interfaces.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2023

Lattice dynamics and spin excitations in the metal-organic framework [CH$_3$NH$_3$][Co(HCOO)$_3$]

In metal-organic-framework (MOF) perovskites, both magnetic and ferroelectric orderings can be readily realized by compounding spin and charge degrees of freedom. The hydrogen bonds that bridge the magnetic framework and organic molecules have long been thought of as a key in generating multiferroic properties. However, the underlying physical mechanisms remain unclear. Here, we combine neutron diffraction, quasielastic and inelastic neutron scattering, and THz spectroscopy techniques to thoroughly investigate the dynamical properties of the multiferroic MOF candidate [CH$_3$NH$_3$][Co(HCOO)$_3$] through its multiple phase transitions. The wide range of energy resolutions reachable by these techniques enables us to scrutinize the coupling between the molecules and the framework throughout the phase transitions and interrogate a possible magnetoelectric coupling. Our results also reveal a structural change around 220 K which may be associated with the activation of a nodding donkey mode of the methylammonium molecule due to the ordering of the CH$_3$ groups. Upon the occurrence of the modulated phase transition around 130 K, the methylammonium molecules undergo a freezing of its reorientational motions which is concomitant with a change of the lattice parameters and anomalies of collective lattice vibrations. No significant change has been however observed in the lattice dynamics around the magnetic ordering, which therefore indicates the absence of a substantial magneto-electric coupling in zero-field.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Low-energy spin excitations in optimally doped CaFe$_{0.88}$Co$_{0.12}$AsF superconductor studied with inelastic neutron scattering

There are few inelastic neutron scattering (INS) reports on the superconducting single crystals of FeAs-1111 system, even though it was first discovered in 2008, due to the extreme difficulty in large single crystal growth. In this paper, we have studied the low-energy spin excitations in the optimally electron-doped CaFe$_{0.88}$Co$_{0.12}$AsF single crystals with $T_\mathrm{c}$ = 21 K by INS. The resonance energy of the superconducting spin resonant mode with $E_\mathrm{r}$ = 12 meV amounts to 6.6 $k_\mathrm{B}$$T_\mathrm{c}$, which constitutes the largest $E_\mathrm{r}$/$k_\mathrm{B}$$T_\mathrm{c}$ ratio among iron-based superconductors reported to date. The large ratio implies a strong coupling between conduction electrons and magnetic excitations in CaFe$_{0.88}$Co$_{0.12}$AsF. The resonance possesses a magnonlike upward dispersion along transverse direction due to the anisotropy of spin-spin correlation length within $ab$ plane in the normal-state, which points to a spin fluctuation mediated sign-reversed ${s}\mathbf\pm$ wave pairing in CaFe$_{0.88}$Co$_{0.12}$AsF.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2022

Spin structure and dynamics of the topological semimetal Co$_{3}$Sn$_{2-x}$In$_{x}$S$_{2}$

The anomalous Hall effect (AHE), typically observed in ferromagnetic (FM) metals with broken time-reversal symmetry, depends on electronic and magnetic properties. In Co$_{3}$Sn$_{2-x}$In$_{x}$S$_{2}$, a giant AHE has been attributed to Berry curvature associated with the FM Weyl semimetal phase, yet recent studies report complicated magnetism. We use neutron scattering to determine the spin dynamics and structures as a function of $x$ and provide a microscopic understanding of the AHE and magnetism interplay. Spin gap and stiffness indicate a contribution from Weyl fermions consistent with the AHE. The magnetic structure evolves from $c$-axis ferromagnetism at $x$ = 0 to a canted antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure with reduced $c$-axis moment and in-plane AFM order at $x$ = 0.12 and further reduced $c$-axis FM moment at $x$ = 0.3. Since noncollinear spins can induce non-zero Berry curvature in real space acting as a fictitious magnetic field, our results revealed another AHE contribution, establishing the impact of magnetism on transport.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2022

Electron-momentum dependence of electron-phonon coupling underlies dramatic phonon renormalization in YNi$_2$B$_2$C

Electron-phonon coupling, i.e., the scattering of lattice vibrations by electrons and vice versa, is ubiquitous in solids and can lead to emergent ground states such as superconductivity and charge-density wave order. Strong coupling of phonons to electrons near the Fermi surface, which reduces the phonon lifetimes and broadens the phonon peaks in scattering experiments, is often associated with Fermi surface nesting. Here, we show that strong phonon broadening can occur in the absence of both Fermi surface nesting and lattice anharmonicity, if electron-phonon coupling is strongly enhanced for specific values of electron-momentum, k. We use inelastic neutron scattering, soft x-ray angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy measurements and ab-initio lattice dynamical and electronic band structure calculations to demonstrate this scenario in the highly anisotropic tetragonal electron-phonon superconductor YNi$_2$B$_2$C. This new scenario likely applies to a wide range of compounds.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Electron-phonon coupling in the charge density wave state of CsV$_3$Sb$_5$

Metallic materials with kagome lattice structure are interesting because their electronic structures can host flat bands, Dirac cones, and van Hove singularities, resulting in strong electron correlations, nontrivial band topology, charge density wave (CDW), and unconventional superconductivity. Recently, kagome lattice compounds AV$_3$Sb$_5$ (A = K, Rb, Cs) are found to have intertwined CDW order and superconductivity. The origin of the CDW has been suggested to be purely electronic, arising from Fermi-surface instabilities of van Hove singularity (saddle point) near the M points. Here we use neutron scattering experiments to demonstrate that the CDW order in CsV$_3$Sb$_5$ is associated with static lattice distortion and a sudden hardening of the B3u longitudinal optical phonon mode, thus establishing that electron-phonon coupling must also play an important role in the CDW order of AV$_3$Sb$_5$.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Polarized neutron scattering studies of magnetic excitations in iron-selenide superconductor (Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$)ODFeSe ($T_c$ = 41 K)

We report polarized neutron scattering measurements of the low energy spin fluctuations of the iron-selenide superconductor Li$_{0.8}$Fe$_{0.2}$ODFeSe below and above its superconducting transition temperature $T_c=41$ K. Our experiments confirmed that the resonance mode near 21 meV is magnetic. Moreover, the spin excitations are essentially isotropic in spin space at 5$\leq E\leq$ 29 meV in the superconducting and normal states. Our results suggest that the resonance mode in iron-based superconductors becomes isotropic when the influence of spin-orbit coupling and magnetic/nematic order is minimized, similar to those observed in cuprate superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2021

Topological magnon insulators in two-dimensional van der Waals ferromagnets CrSiTe$_3$ and CrGeTe$_3$: towards intrinsic gap-tunability

The bosonic analogues of topological insulators have been proposed in numerous theoretical works, but their experimental realization is still very rare, especially for spin systems. Recently, two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb van der Waals (vdW) ferromagnets have emerged as a new platform for topological spin excitations. Here, via a comprehensive inelastic neutron scattering study and theoretical analysis of the spin-wave excitations, we report the realization of topological magnon insulators in CrXTe$_3$ (X=Si, Ge) compounds. The nontrivial nature and intrinsic tunability of the gap opening at the magnon band-crossing Dirac points are confirmed, while the emergence of the corresponding in-gap topological edge states is demonstrated theoretically. The realization of topological magnon insulators with intrinsic gap-tunability in this class of remarkable 2D materials will undoubtedly lead to new and fascinating technological applications in the domain of magnonics and topological spintronics.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2019

Magnetic structure and excitations of the topological semimetal YbMnBi$_2$

We investigated the magnetic structure and dynamics of YbMnBi$_2$, with elastic and inelastic neutron scattering, to shed light on the topological nature of the charge carriers in the antiferromagnetic phase. We confirm C-type antiferromagnetic ordering of the Mn spins below $T_{\rm N} = 290$ K, and determine that the spins point along the $c$-axis to within about $3^\circ$. The observed magnon spectrum can be described very well by the same effective spin Hamiltonian as was used previously to model the magnon spectrum of CaMnBi$_2$. Our results show conclusively that the creation of Weyl nodes in YbMnBi$_2$ by the time-reversal-symmetry breaking mechanism can be excluded in the bulk.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Relaxation of dynamically disordered tetragonal platelets in the relaxor ferroelectric $0.964\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3-0.036\mathrm{BaTiO}_3$

The local dynamics of the lead-free relaxor $0.964\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3-0.036\mathrm{BaTiO}_3$ (NBT-3.6BT) have been investigated by a combination of quasielastic neutron scattering (QENS) and ab initio molecular dynamics simulations. In a previous paper, we were able to show that the tetragonal platelets in the microstructure are crucial for understanding the dielectric properties of NBT-3.6BT [F. Pforr et al., Phys. Rev. B 94, 014105 (2016)]. To investigate their dynamics, ab initio molecular dynamics simulations were carried out using $\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3$ with 001 cation order as a simple model system for the tetragonal platelets in NBT-3.6BT. Similarly, 111-ordered $\mathrm{Na}_{1/2}\mathrm{Bi}_{1/2}\mathrm{TiO}_3$ was used as a model for the rhombohedral matrix. The measured single crystal QENS spectra could be reproduced by a linear combination of calculated spectra. We find that the relaxational dynamics of NBT-3.6BT are concentrated in the tetragonal platelets. Chaotic stages, during which the local tilt order changes incessantly on the timescale of several picoseconds, cause the most significant contribution to the quasielastic intensity. They can be regarded as an excited state of tetragonal platelets, whose relaxation back into a quasistable state might explain the frequency dependence of the dielectric properties of NBT-3.6BT in the 100 GHz to THz range. This substantiates the assumption that the relaxor properties of NBT-3.6BT originate from the tetragonal platelets.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2017

Interacting chains of orbital polarons in "Colossal" magnetoresistive La1-xSrxMnO3 revealed by spin and lattice dynamics

The origin of the effect of colossal magneto-resistance (CMR) remains still unexplained. In this work we revisit the spin dynamics of the pseudo-cubic La1-xSrxMnO3 along the Mn-O-Mn bond direction at four x doping values (x < 0.5) and various temperatures and report a new lattice dynamics study at x0=0.2, representative of the optimal doping for CMR. We propose an interpretation of the spin dynamics in terms of orbital polarons. This picture is supported by the observation of a discrete magnetic energy spectrum Enmag (q) characteristic of the internal excitations of "orbital polarons" defined by Mn3+ neighbors surrounding a Mn4+ center with a hole. Because of its hopping, the hole mixes up dynamically all the possible orbital configurations of its surrounding Mn3+ sites with degenerate energies. The Enmag values indicate a lift of orbital degeneracy by phonon excitations. The number n varies with the spatial dimension D of the polaron and the q-range determines its size. At x=0.125 and x=0.3 the spectrum reveals 2D polarons coupled by exchange and 3D "free" polarons respectively, with sizes l=1.67a < 2a in all bond directions. At x0=0.2, the spin and the lattice dynamics provide evidence for chains of orbital polarons of size l=2a with a periodic distribution over ~ 3a and an interaction energy ~ 3 meV. At T < Tc the charges propagate together with the longitudinal acoustic phonons along the chains enhancing their ferromagnetic character. The phase separation between metallic and ferromagnetic chains in a non-metallic matrix may be crucial for CMR.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2017

Orbital selective neutron spin resonance in underdoped superconducting NaFe$_\textbf{0.985}$Co$_\textbf{0.015}$As

We use neutron scattering to study the electron-doped superconducting NaFe$_{0.985}$Co$_{0.015}$As ($T_c=14$ K), which has co-existing static antiferromagnetic (AF) order ($T_N=31$ K) and exhibits two neutron spin resonances ($E_{r1}\approx 3.5$ meV and $E_{r2}\approx 6$ meV) at the in-plane AF ordering wave vector ${\bf Q}_{\rm AF}={\bf Q}_{1}=(1,0)$ in reciprocal space. In the twinned state below the tetragonal-to-orthorhombic structural transition $T_s$, both resonance modes appear at ${\bf Q}_{1}$ but cannot be distinguished from ${\bf Q}_{2}=(0,1)$. By detwinning the single crystal with uniaxial pressure along the orthorhombic $b$-axis, we find that both resonances appear only at ${\bf Q}_{1}$ with vanishing intensity at ${\bf Q}_{2}$. Since electronic bands of the orbital $d_{xz}$ and $d_{yz}$ characters split below $T_s$ with the $d_{xz}$ band sinking $\sim10$ meV below the Fermi surface, our results indicate that the neutron spin resonances in NaFe$_{0.985}$Co$_{0.015}$As arise mostly from quasi-particle excitations between the hole and electron Fermi surfaces with the $d_{yz}$ orbital character.

cond-mat.supr-con↗