X-ray scattering study of pyrochlore iridates: Crystal structure, electronic, and magnetic excitations

We have investigated the structural, electronic, and magnetic properties of the pyrochlore iridates Eu2Ir2O7 and Pr2Ir2O7 using a combination of resonant elastic x-ray scattering, x-ray powder diffraction, and resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS). The structural parameters of Eu2Ir2O7 have been examined as a function of temperature and applied pressure, with a particular emphasis on regions of the phase diagram where electronic and magnetic phase transitions have been reported. We find no evidence of crystal symmetry change over the range of temperatures (similar to 6 to 300 K) and pressures (similar to 0.1 to 17 GPa) studied. We have also investigated the electronic and magnetic excitations in single-crystal samples of Eu2Ir2O7 and Pr2Ir2O7 using high-resolution Ir L-3-edge RIXS. In spite of very different ground state properties, we find that these materials exhibit qualitatively similar excitation spectra, with crystal field excitations at similar to 3-5 eV, spin-orbit excitations at similar to 0.5-1 eV, and broad low-lying excitations below similar to 0.15 eV. In single-crystal samples of "Eu-rich" Eu2Ir2O7 (found to possess an actual stoichiometry of Eu2.18Ir1.82O7.06) we observe highly damped magnetic excitations at similar to 45 meV, which display significant momentum dependence. We compare these results with recent dynamical structure factor calculations.