Measurement of magnetic excitations in the two-dimensional antiferromagnetic Sr2CuO2Cl2 insulator using resonant x-ray scattering: Evidence for extended interactions

Abstract

We measured the momentum dependence of magnetic excitations in the model spin-1/2 2D antiferromagnetic insulator Sr2CuO2Cl 2 (SCOC). We identify a single-spin-wave feature and a multimagnon continuum, with different polarization dependences. The spin waves display a large (70 meV) dispersion between the zone-boundary points (π, 0) and (π/2, π/2). Employing an extended t-t′-t ′′-U one-band Hubbard model, we find significant electronic hopping beyond nearest-neighbor Cu ions, indicative of extended magnetic interactions. The spectral line shape at (π, 0) indicates sizable quantum effects in SCOC and probably more generally in the cuprates. © 2010 The American Physical Society.