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- Title
Jahn-Teller distortion driven magnetic polarons in magnetite.
- Authors
Huang, H. Y.; Chen, Z. Y.; Wang, R. -P.; de Groot, F. M. F.; Wu, W. B.; Okamoto, J.; Chainani, A.; Singh, A.; Li, Z. -Y.; Zhou, J. -S.; Jeng, H. -T.; Guo, G. Y.; Park, Je-Geun; Tjeng, L. H.; Chen, C. T.; Huang, D. J.
- Abstract
The first known magnetic mineral, magnetite, has unusual properties, which have fascinated mankind for centuries; it undergoes the Verwey transition around 120 K with an abrupt change in structure and electrical conductivity. The mechanism of the Verwey transition, however, remains contentious. Here we use resonant inelastic X-ray scattering over a wide temperature range across the Verwey transition to identify and separate out the magnetic excitations derived from nominal Fe2+ and Fe3+ states. Comparison of the experimental results with crystal-field multiplet calculations shows that the spin-orbital dd excitons of the Fe2+ sites arise from a tetragonal Jahn-Teller active polaronic distortion of the Fe2+O6 octahedra. These low-energy excitations, which get weakened for temperatures above 350 K but persist at least up to 550 K, are distinct from optical excitations and are best explained as magnetic polarons.
- Publication
Nature Communications, 2017, Vol 8, Issue 6, p15929
- ISSN
2041-1723
- Publication type
Article
- DOI
10.1038/ncomms15929