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# DARK MATTER AND THE VOIDS

## Abstract

It is now, generally, believed that the presence of some form of dark matter is essential to explain the flat rotation curves of galaxies, and anomalous large velocities of galaxies in the clusters and superclusters. This dark matter turns out to be too elusive and , so far, there is no direct evidence for such matter although there is a large variety of candidates proposed by theoretical models. One would expect that the existence of vast amount of dark matter would lead to the formation of some dark galaxies or clusters which could be seen by gravitational lensing events.This could serve as a direct evidence for dark matter. However, so far, there is no conclusive lensing event pertaining to that.

In spite of absence of any direct evidence, there is a consensus among physicists in favour of some form of non-baryonic dark matter. In this paper, we take a different viewpoint and would like to view dark matter as an emergent phenomenon - very much like many such phenomena known in condensed matter systems.

We propose here a novel mechanism involving Voids, which can, in principle give rise to a difference between the gravitational and the inertial mass, and thereby, create effects similar to the dark matter.

Basic forces of nature are characterized by the existence of fundamental constants.These constants not only characterize the distance scale of motion of bodies in force field, it also sets the size of the structure that can arise. Eletromagnetism probably gives rise to the largest variety of structures. This is because the scale in this case is set not just by the fine structure constant, but by the combination of fine structure constant $`\alpha `$ and various atomic numbers $`Z`$. The strong interaction is largely responsible for the existence of elementary particles and nuclei. The weak interaction is responsible for the decay of such particle and, therefore, sets the stability standards. Gravitation, the the oldest known, interaction is not as well understood as the other three fundamental interactions. In the smallest scale we have the black hole singularity (distance of order of plank length $`10^{33}`$ cm.), in the intermediate scale the problem of dark matter and structure formation (distance scale ranging from a few kilopersec to a few megapersec) and in the largest scale (distance scale of around a few hundred megapersec), where we have the expansion of universe, there is the horizon problem and the problem of overall density, and also the possibility that the universe may be accelarating in the present epoch. In all these cases the constant that enters in the description is the Newton’s constant of gravity, $`G=6.67\times 10^8cm^3/gm.sec^2`$. The ratio of the distance scales involved is approximately $`10^{28}/10^{33}=10^{61}`$, where as in the case of eletromagnetism it is roughly the ratio of the size of the Jupiter to the atomic size which is approximately $`10^{10}/10^8=10^{18}`$, in the case of strong interaction it is $`10^3`$. Keeping in mind that there is no quantum theory of gravity as yet, one wonders whether gravity is an effective theory with different coupling constants governing motions at different length scales (like the pion-nucleon coupling constant in strong interactions). After all, the direct verification of gravity extends in larger side of the scale only up to distances $`10^{19}`$ cms. (a few parsecs in open clusters) and in smaller end of the scale not even submillimeter level. This is the enigma of gravity. In this paper, we will be concerned with only one of these problems. We leave aside the problem of the smallest and largest scale and consider only the intermediate scale ( from a few kilopersec to a few megapersec ). In this distance scale, we have the problem of the dark matter and the structure formation. They both probably are two sides of the same coin.

The dark matter problem has been known for a long time. However, in seventies and early eighties when old data was analysed properly  and newly obtained data was analysed  that the problem of dark matter was well established. We expect that the velocities of the satellite galaxies and large gaseous clouds orbiting around the galaxies should fall off with distance as per the Coulomb law. However, what was found is that the velocities do not decrease at all. They rather become constant, and hence, the name flat rotation curves. It is also found that in galactic clusters the velocities of the galaxies are anomalously large and it is not possible to explain it by the gravitational field of the luminous matter alone. All sorts of exotic particles, ditributed around the galaxies with density $`\rho (r)1/r^2`$ have been postulated to explain the flat rotation curves. In these models, the amount of dark matter needed to explain the rotation curves is about eighty to ninety percent of total mass of the galaxies. Therefore, for the formation of large scale structure in the universe , they become the most relevant objects and dynamics would almost entirely be governed by them. All attempts to identify such exotic particles have been elusive. However, the search continues. There have also been search for the so called MACHO objects ( baryonic structures of the size of Jupiter) which could also explain the rotation curves. But this has also not produced satisfactory results. If the dark matter is non-baryonic, one would expect that the existence of vast amount of dark matter would lead to the formation of some dark galaxies or clusters which could be seen by gravitational lensing events. This could serve as a direct evidence for dark matter. However, so far, there is no conclusive lensing event pertaining to that. On the other hand, the absence of dark matter would imply that the theory of gravity be different at the intermediate scale. At this stage there is a serious psychological barrier based on very genuine reasons. After all, Newtonian gravity is the low velocity limit of the general theory of relativity. There may exist data not explained by these theories but there is no single data worth mentioning which directly contradicts them. Nevertheles, it does sound logical to construct models and look for their obvervational consequences. It is not enough to construct models which only explains the flat rotation curves but, as mentioned before, it should also account for the large scale structure in the universe.

There have been some attempts to introduce such modifications. Sanders  suggested that Newton’s constant of gravity varies with distance.The gravitational potential in his model is

$`U={\displaystyle \frac{G(1\beta e^{r/r_0})}{r(1\beta )}}`$ (1)
The constants $`\beta `$ and $`r_0`$ can be determined from the data. However, there is no estimate for the size of structures or its role in large scale structure formation.

Milgrom and Bekenstein  assume that the ratio of inertial mass $`m_i`$ and the gravitational mass $`m_g`$ depends on accelaration in the small accelaration limit. To be more precise

$`m_i/m_g=\mu (a/a_o)`$ (2)
where $`a`$ is the accelaration and $`a_o`$ is a universal constant, $`a_o=8h^2\times 10^8cm.sec^2`$.

$`\mu (a/a_o)=1\text{ for }aa_o`$ (3)
$`\mu (a/a_o)=a\text{ for }aa_o`$ (4)
As a result of this assumption the law of gravity becomes very different when the potential gradient is small. Essentially, it means, that $`m_ia=m_g(GM/r^2)`$ implies $`m_ga^2=m_g(GM/r^2)`$ in the small accelaration limit. Now, for a rotating body $`a=v^2/r`$ where $`v`$ is the rotational velocity. The above relations imply that $`v^4=GM`$, and, therefore, the rotational velocity does not depend on distance. In this model, the kinetic energy is too soft and we do not expect large structure to emerge. This mechanism also fails to accomodate an well established observation that fainter (smaller) galaxies contain more dark matter.

Our approach, though different, accomodates some essential ideas of Milgrom and Bekenstein. In their approach, they try to modify the law of inertia for small accelarations. We, instead, look for mechanism which can give rise to a difference between gravitational mass and the inertial mass. Our approach is in the spirit of condensed matter physics. It is in this sense that we view dark matter as an emergent phenomenon. We shall argue in this paper that Voids  can, in principle, create a difference between the gravitational and inertial mass. But before we come to that, the following discussion is necessary. It is well known that masses of particles can vary depending on the medium it is moving in. In condensed matter physics this is very well known. In fact, this is one of the basic ingredients in Landau Fermi liquid theory  . One often considers variation of mass as an artefact of quantum theory. But strictly speaking this is not correct \- though quantum theory is the essential tool for carrying out analysis and quantitative calculations. The variation in masses, essentially reflects the nature of force field present in the medium. If the mass, $`m_B`$, ($`\mu =\frac{e\mathrm{}}{2m_Bc}`$) , defining the magnetic moment of an electron, and the mass, $`m_F`$, ($`ϵ_F=\frac{p^2}{2m_F}`$), defining the Fermi energy, were always equal, there would not be any diamagnetic substance in nature. The very fact that there exist strong diamagnet such as bismuth, implies that in these materials the ”two masses” are different, $`m_F<m_B`$. In such systems the inertial mass is lowered. There are other materials known as heavy fermion systems ($`CeAl_3`$, $`CeCu_6`$, $`UPt_3`$ ), in which the inertial mass increases - the electrons acquire masses of several GeV. The inertial masses of particles are modified by the force field in the medium. Such a phenomenon is also known in classical Hydrodynamics . The increase or decrease of inertial mass is determined by the nature of the drag the medium exerts on moving bodies - if the drag is positive the mass increases but if the drag is negative (as in the case of diamagnetic materials for electrons), the inertial mass decreases. It is this idea, which we want to carry over to the large structure. This requires review of some aspects of standard cosmology and the theory of structure formation at the large scale. This is briefly described below.

It is very well established through observation that at distance scales of the order of 200-300 megapersec, the Universe is isotropic and homogenous. This means that if we pick up a region of the Universe of dimension 200-300 megapersec at any distance and in any direction, it will contain the same amount of matter. Therefore, at this scale the density of matter can be considered to be constant. In Newtonian gravity, such a distribution of matter implies that at every point in space the potential and force are unbounded  . This dilemma is resolved in the General Theory of Relativity. For an isotropic and homogenous distribution of matter one assumes the Friedman-Robertson-Walker metric, given by the line element

$`ds^2=dt^2a^2(t)({\displaystyle \frac{dr^2}{1kr^2}}+r^2d\theta ^2+r^2\mathrm{sin}^2\theta d\varphi ^2)`$ (5)
in which the Einstein equation,

$`R_{\mu \nu }{\displaystyle \frac{1}{2}}g_{\mu \nu }R={\displaystyle \frac{8\pi G}{3}}T_{\mu \nu }`$ (6)
takes the simple form ,

$`{\displaystyle \frac{\dot{a}^2+ka^2}{a^4}}={\displaystyle \frac{8\pi G}{3}}\rho _0`$ (7)
where $`a(t)`$ is the scale factor, $`\rho _0`$ is the averaged constant density, and $`k=1,1`$ or $`0`$, respectively for closed, open and flat universe. This equation along with the equation of state describes the isotropic and homogenous universe. The equations clearly show that the isotropic and homogenous distribution of matter can not be stable - the Universe expands. The constant density serves as a source term in the evolution of the scale factor. What is the source of gravity in the large scale? When the mean free path of the particles is small, matter can be treated as an ideal fluid and the Newton’s equations governing the motion of gravitating collisionless particles in an expanding Universe can be written in terms of $`𝐱=𝐫/a`$ (the comoving space coordinate), $`𝐯=\dot{𝐫}H𝐫=a\dot{𝐱}`$ (the peculiar velocity field, H is the Hubble constant), $`\varphi (𝐱,t)`$ (the Newton gravitational potential) and $`\rho (𝐱,t)`$ (the matter density). This give us the following set of equations . Firstly, the Euler equation,

$`{\displaystyle \frac{(a𝐯)}{t}}+(𝐯._𝐱)𝐯={\displaystyle \frac{1}{\rho }}_𝐱P_𝐱\varphi `$ (8)
Next, the continuity equation

$`{\displaystyle \frac{\rho }{t}}+3H\rho +{\displaystyle \frac{1}{a}}_𝐱(\rho 𝐯)=0`$ (9)
And, finally the Poisson equation

$`_{𝐱}^{}{}_{}{}^{2}\varphi =4\pi Ga^2(\rho \rho _0)=4\pi Ga^2\rho _0\delta `$ (10)
where $`\rho _0`$ is the mean background density and $`\delta =\rho /\rho _01`$ is the density contrast.

Therefore, at large scale, the source of gravity is not the average density $`\rho _0`$ but the density fluctuations, $`\delta \rho >0`$. It is a subject of study in theory of structure formation as to what kind of density fluctuation would grow in time and lead to the formation of galaxies, and clusters and superclusters of galaxies . It is important, here, to remember that at the scale of dimensions, 200 - 300 megapersec, the Universe is homogenous and isotropic and acquires constant density and, therefore, if in some subregion $`\delta \rho >0`$, there must be some subregion where $`\delta \rho <0`$, so as to reproduce the constant density profile. These domains with $`\delta \rho <0`$ are known as Voids . Note that for Voids $`\delta \rho /\rho _0`$ is always bounded below by $`1`$ . Such regions of Voids dominate the volume in the universe giving rise to cellular structures with the clusters and superclusters of galaxies forming string like walls around them. Existence of Voids are supported by direct observation as well as numerical simulation of hydrodynamic equations . The observed Voids seem to have dimension of several (tens of) megapersecs. However, Voids of our interest would be those whose dimensions are a few (tens of) kilopersec distributed within the intergalactic medium and within clusters and supercluetrs of galaxies. There is, so far, no observational evidence for Voids of such dimensions. However, issue of how the Voids are distributed is not yet settled. There are some numerical simmulations which suggest that Voids may form a connected network ( and references there in). This connectivity of Void network is very important for cosmology. If the universe starts with a matter coonnected network and latter makes a transition to Void connected network, the rate of expansion will undergo abrupt change.

Let us suppose that Voids of such small dimensions exist and are distributed in the intergalactic medium and the clusters and superclusters of galaxies. The question that immediately arises is related to the observation of such objects. What are the observational signature of such Voids? Large Voids are easily identified by the absence of galaxies and clusters in those regions.For smaller size Voids, possibly the ultra-low density limit of Saha ionization formula could be of some help because the Voids are ultra-low density regions. The formula implies that the atoms trapped in the Voids would prefer to remain ionized, and therefore, the random motion of ions and electrons would give rise to a faint radiation glow (see appendix for details).

Let us proceed with the assumption that Voids as discussed above exists. Since the source term responsible for the formation of Voids is the negative density contrast, it will give rise to force field that is opposite to that of gravity. Therefore, the intergalactic medium will be more like a polarised region \- where Galaxies and Voids give rise to two opposite type of force fields.What effect would the Void have on a massive body? It would clearly exert a repulsive force at least locally. Therefore, a massive body moving around a galaxy or in the clusters would feel an extra push from the Voids. This effect can be taken into account by assuming that the inertial mass is effectively decreased. Thus the effect of Voids would brings about a difference in the ”effective” inertial mass and the gravitational mass. This difference would apper as if there is some dark matter.

I would like to thank Prof. Ashok Sen, Harischandra Research Institute, Allahabad, U.P., India and Prof. D.Narashimha, Tata Institute of Fundamental Reaserch, Mumbai, India for discussion and suggestion in the early phase of the work.

APPENDIX

Ultra-low desity limit of the Saha ionization formula

The Saha ionization formula  has played a very impotant role in the development of astrophysics. The ultra-low density limit of this formula has been known for a long time . In this limit, the formula suggests that the atoms in equillibrium prefer to remain in ionized state.This ionization, just from ”expansion” as the density goes down, has been listed as one of the surprises in theoretical physics by Peierls . In this appendix, we point out that this ultra-low density limit of Saha ionization formula is very relevant for Voids.

The ionization formula is given by,

$`{\displaystyle \frac{n_en_i}{n_a}}={\displaystyle \frac{1}{v_a}}e^{W/kT}`$ (11)
In the equation above, $`n_e`$ , $`n_i`$, $`n_a`$ are the densities of electrons, ions and atoms(not ionized) respectively. $`W`$ is the ionization potential, $`T`$ is the temperature and $`k`$ is the Boltzman constant.The volume occupied by a bound electron at temperature $`T`$ is represented by $`v_a`$. It is, essentially, the volume contained within a thermal de Brogle wave length.

$`v_a=\lambda _{th}{}_{}{}^{3}=\left({\displaystyle \frac{2\pi \mathrm{}^2}{m_ekT}}\right)^{3/2}`$ (12)
Let us consider a box of volume $`V`$ which, to start with, contains N number of hydrogen atoms. Let a fraction $`X`$ of them be ionized. In this case , $`n_e=\frac{N}{V}X=n_i`$ and $`n_a=(1X)\frac{N}{V}`$. Substituting these values in the ionization formula we obtain,

$`{\displaystyle \frac{X^2}{1X}}{\displaystyle \frac{N}{V}}={\displaystyle \frac{1}{v_a}}e^{W/kT}`$ (13)
From the equation above, we see that the fraction of charged particles in equilibrium increases when we increase the volume(i.e., decrease the density). In the ultra-low density ($`\frac{N}{V}0`$ or $`\frac{V}{N}\mathrm{}`$ ), atoms would prefer to remain ionized .

The Voids are the ultra-low density regions in the Universe, and these are the regions where one would expect to observe the consequences of ultra-low density limit of the Saha ionization formula. As discussed before, in this limit, atoms would prefer to remain ionized. Saha ionization formula implies that, at ultra-low density, once the ionization takes place there is hardly any chance for recombination . Therefore, the random motion of the charged particles in the Voids should create a faint radiation glow.

At this stage, the important question is: what is the source of the ionization energy? One common source of ionization are the starlights. However, at high red shift, their intensity is very low. The most common source of ionization energy at high red shift are the lights from Quasars.


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# High-Energy Spin Dynamics in La1.69Sr0.31NiO4

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## Abstract

We have mapped out the spin dynamics in a stripe-ordered nickelate, La2-xSrxNiO4 with $`x0.31`$, using inelastic neutron scattering. We observe spin-wave excitations up to 80 meV emerging from the incommensurate magnetic peaks with an almost isotropic spin-velocity: $`\mathrm{}c_s0.32`$ eV Å, very similar to the velocity in the undoped, insulating parent compound, La2NiO4. We also discuss the similarities and differences of the inferred spin-excitation spectrum with those reported in superconducting high-$`T_c`$ cuprates.

\]

Magnetism plays an important role in several theories of the high-temperature superconductivity found in layered cuprates; hence, experimental characterizations of magnetic excitations in these materials have been of considerable interest. Much attention has been focussed on the “resonance” peak observed by inelastic neutron scattering in a number of different cuprates . The resonance peak is centered commensurately on the antiferromagnetic wave vector. Studies of YBa2Cu3O6+x, in which the resonance peak was first observed , have also found incommensurate excitations at somewhat lower energies . In more recent work , it was found that the incommensurate scattering actually disperses downward continuously from the commensurate resonance peak, defining a single dispersive excitation.

There are several theoretical perspectives on the resonance peak and the dispersive excitations. In one popular approach, the magnetic resonance is a particle-hole bound state below the two-particle continuum associated with the $`d`$-wave superconducting gap ; such calculations, based on a homogeneous, renormalized Fermi-liquid model, yield qualitative agreement with experiment. One alternative is based on the “stripe” scenario , in which magnetic excitations are dominantly attributed to spatially segregated domains of antiferromagnetically correlated copper spins . In particular, Batista, Ortiz, and Balatsky  have explicitly proposed that the dispersive resonance represents the magnon-like excitations emanating from incommensurate wave vectors associated with a stripe-correlated spin system. Their prediction that a similar resonance-like excitation should be observable in a stripe-ordered compound such as La2-xSrxNiO4 motivated the present investigation.

Regardless of whether La2-xSrxNiO4 is an ideal model for the cuprates, studies of the full spin dynamics of the incommensurate spin state are of interest, as only low-energy characterizations have been reported previously . Here we report measurements of the high-energy spin excitations in a crystal with $`x0.31`$, close to the $`1/3`$ composition. Within the two-dimensional reciprocal space corresponding to a doped NiO2 plane, the diagonal stripe order yields two pairs of magnetic ordering wave vectors, $`𝐐_\delta =(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})\pm (\delta ,\delta )`$ and $`(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})\pm (\delta ,\delta )`$, due to twinning of the stripe domains. \[We express wave vectors in units of the reciprocal lattice, $`(2\pi /a,2\pi /a)`$, with $`a=3.82`$ Å.\] These incommensurate points are displaced about the antiferromagnetic propagation wave vector, $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}=(\frac{1}{2},\frac{1}{2})`$, of the undoped parent compound. The incommensurability $`\delta `$ varies with the hole concentration as $`\delta x/2`$ , with $`\delta =0.158`$ for our sample at low temperature. We observed spin-wave excitations dispersing from each $`𝐐_\delta `$ peak up to a maximum of 80 meV at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$. Surprisingly, the effective spin-wave velocity, $`\mathrm{}c_s0.32`$ eV Å, is almost as large as that of undoped insulating La2NiO4, where $`\mathrm{}c_0=0.34`$ eV Å. Furthermore, the anisotropy in the spin-wave velocity between the directions parallel and perpendicular to the stripes is less than 15%. On warming to above the charge-ordering temperature, the excitation at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ softens somewhat, but remains well-defined.

Our single-crystal sample, grown by the floating-zone method, was the subject of a previous neutron scattering experiment . The present inelastic-neutron-scattering measurements were performed on the 1T and 2T triple-axis spectrometers at the Orphée reactor of the Laboratoire Léon Brillouin in Saclay, France. Each spectrometer is equipped with Cu (111) and pyrolytic graphite (PG) monochromators and a PG (002) analyzer. Different final neutron energies of the analyzer, $`E_f=14.7`$, 30.5 and 41 meV, were used in order to cover the full energy range of the magnetic spectrum. A PG filter was placed after the sample to minimize neutrons at higher-harmonic wavelengths. Most of the measurements have been performed within the $`(HK0)`$ scattering plane, with some data collected in the $`(HHL)`$ zone.

In scanning across the $`𝐐_\delta `$ peak positions at constant energy transfer, as indicated in the upper panel of Fig. 1, we expect, at low temperatures (below the spin-ordering temperature of 160 K), to pass through two spin-wave branches, corresponding to counter-propagating excitations. The lower panels show scans at an energy transfer of 28.1 meV along orthogonal directions with respect to the modulation wave vector. Although the two branches are not resolved, the $`Q`$-width in each case is significantly broader than resolution, with little dependence on scan direction. At higher energies \[Fig. 2(b)-(d)\], we clearly resolved spin waves emerging from the two $`𝐐_\delta `$ points $`(1.5\delta ,1.5+\delta )`$ and $`(1.5+\delta ,1.5\delta )`$. At $`E=75`$ meV, the excitations from $`+\delta `$ and $`\delta `$ begin to merge at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$, forming a single broad peak, with additional weight coming from excitations associated with the orthogonal stripe domains (see Fig. 1).

The excitation at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ is better characterized by scanning the energy transfer at fixed momentum transfer. Figure 3(b)-(d) shows energy scans at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ for 3 different temperatures. The maximum of the spin excitation spectrum is $`\omega _0=80\pm 0.8`$ meV at low temperature \[Fig. 3(b)\].

In the studies of low-energy excitations in stripe-correlated nickelates , it was found that the observed $`Q`$-widths of the excitation peaks are broader than the energy resolution. For Sr-doped samples, this is due, at least in part, to the finite spin-spin correlation length in the ordered state. Fluctuations of the charge stripes might also play a role. To extract the frequency dispersion from the constant-energy scans of Figs. 1 and 2, we have assumed a scattering function of the form

$$S(𝐐,\omega )=Af^2(Q)\underset{domains}{}\underset{\delta }{}e^{[(𝐐𝐐_\delta )^2Q_\omega ^2]/2\mathrm{\Delta }^2},$$
(1)
where $`A`$ is a scale factor, one sum is over the two incommensurate wave vectors, the other one is over the twined stripe domains, and the magnetic form factor $`f(Q)`$ is assumed to vary insignificantly across the range of a given scan. To fit the data, the model $`S(𝐐,\omega )`$ was convolved with the spectrometer resolution function, and the parameters $`Q_\omega `$ and $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$ were varied to minimize $`\chi ^2`$. The model provides reasonable fits to the data; note that the enhanced intensity near $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ in Fig. 2(b) and (c) comes from the superposition of contributions dispersing from the four surrounding $`𝐐_\delta `$ points (see the upper panel of Fig. 1). The results obtained for $`Q_\omega `$ as a function of energy transfer, $`\mathrm{}\omega `$, are plotted in Fig. 2(a). The momentum width, $`\mathrm{\Delta }`$, when converted to half-width-at-half-maximum, is 0.05 Å-1.

To fit the constant-Q scans of Fig. 3, it is standard to use an alternative parametrization:

$$S(𝐐,\omega )=A^{}f^2(Q)\frac{\omega \mathrm{\Gamma }[1+n(\omega ,T)]}{[\omega ^2\omega ^2(𝐐)]^2+\omega ^2\mathrm{\Gamma }^2},$$
(2)
where $`\omega (𝐐)=\omega _0\alpha (𝐐𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}})^2`$ ($`\alpha =170`$ meV Å2), and $`n(\omega ,T)`$ is the Bose temperature factor. The temperature-dependence of the parameters $`\omega _0`$ and $`\mathrm{\Gamma }`$ are plotted in Fig. 4, while the low-temperature result for $`\omega _0`$ is plotted in Fig. 2(a).

The spin-wave dispersion determined by the quantitative analysis can be described fairly well by a very simple expression: $`\omega (𝐐)=\omega _0|\mathrm{sin}(3\pi H)|`$ along the $`[HH0]`$ direction, indicated by the full line in Fig. 2(a). For comparison, the spin excitation spectrum measured in undoped La2NiO4 , shifted from $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ to $`𝐐_\delta `$ is indicated by dot-dashed lines. It matches the low-energy behavior surprisingly well, but clearly deviates at high energy. The $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ crossing of the shifted curves is at 106 meV, while the measured $`\omega _0`$ is renormalized down to 80 meV. Besides the maximum at $`H=\frac{1}{2}`$, the model dispersion curve also has maxima at $`H=\pm \frac{1}{6}`$. The energy scan in Fig. 3(a) shows that the observed maximum energy at $`H\frac{1}{6}`$ is essentially the same as that at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$, and that the structure factors are similar as well. Looking at Fig. 2(a), one might expect to find an additional optical spin-wave branch at higher energies ($``$ 125 meV); searches at energies of up to 100 meV did not yield any positive evidence for such a branch.

It is interesting to compare the doping dependence of the maximum spin-excitation frequency, $`\omega _0`$, with that of the “2-magnon frequency”, $`\nu _{2\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{g}}`$, determined by Raman scattering . We find that the ratio $`\omega _0(x=0.31)/\omega _0(x=0)=80\mathrm{meV}/124\mathrm{meV}=0.65`$ is very similar to $`\nu _{2\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{g}}(x=0.33)/\nu _{2\mathrm{m}\mathrm{a}\mathrm{g}}(x=0)=1110\mathrm{cm}^1/1640\mathrm{cm}^1=0.68`$. In the Raman studies of the $`x=0.33`$ phase , a second, lower-energy peak at 720 cm-1 ($``$ 90 meV) was also attributed to 2-magnon scattering; however, we do not observe any features in the single-magnon dispersion that would correlate with a second 2-magnon peak. Alternatively, a Raman study of oxygen-doped La2NiO4  suggests that the 720 cm-1 feature might be associated with a phonon mode, observed even in undoped La2NiO4, that should be Raman inactive.

To evaluate the anisotropy in the dispersion, we return to the 28-meV data of Fig. 1. By fitting the resolution-convolved Eq. (1) to the low temperature data, we can estimate the spin wave velocity, $`c_s=\omega /Q_\omega `$, along directions parallel and perpendicular to the stripes. Consistent with the figure, we find little anisotropy, with $`\mathrm{}c_s=300\pm 20`$ meV Å and $`\mathrm{}c_s=350\pm 20`$ meV Å. Both of these values are close to the value of $`\mathrm{}c_0=340`$ meV Å obtained in pure La2NiO4. The lack of significant anisotropy is rather counter-intuitive. The observation of well-defined excitations following a simple dispersion curve such as shown in Fig. 2(a) is rather remarkable relative to the large hole concentration. One can suggest that charge order coherently affects the spin dynamics for this hole filling near $`\frac{1}{3}`$ due to pinning effects.

As shown by Figs. 1 and 3, a striking temperature dependence is observed at energies much larger than the temperature. With increasing temperature, the magnetic mode at $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$ softens and broadens upon heating, starting near the magnetic ordering temperature, $`T_m`$ (Fig. 4). The frequency reduction and damping are of comparable magnitude. It is of particular interest that the mode remains underdamped above the charge-ordering transition. This observation is consistent with the stripe-liquid phase proposed to describe the low-energy spin dynamics.

Returning to our original motivation , the spin excitation spectrum in our stripe-ordered nickelate does have a straightforward similarity to that measured in the superconducting state of cuprates . In both cases, a downward dispersion is observed below a maximum frequency at the AF wave vector. Of course, there are also clear differences: in particular, the spin excitation spectrum of the nickelate is not limited to only a small portion of reciprocal space around $`𝐐_{\mathrm{AF}}`$. We observe symmetric dispersions and structure factors about the incommensurate wavevectors. These results compare somewhat better with the excitations observed in La2-xSrxCuO4, where low energy incommensurate peaks appear to merge into a broad commensurate response around $`25`$ meV ; however, in the latter case the merging occurs at a much lower energy than the value one would deduce from the cuprate spin-wave velocity and the incommensurability. In any case, the canonical nature of the ordered stripes in the nickelate limits the degree to which a direct comparison with the cuprates is practical. A more relevant point for comparison may be the high-temperature phase of the nickelate where, in the absence of static magnetic or charge order, the high-energy spin excitations remain underdamped.

In conclusion, we have measured the complete spin excitation spectrum in the stripe-ordered nickelate La1.69Sr0.31NiO4. The deduced spin-wave velocity is surprisingly large, and there is remarkably little anisotropy between directions parallel and perpendicular to the stripes. This spin dynamics study, in comparison with those reported for superconducting cuprates, should help to clarify the role and relevance of stripes in oxides.

We wish to thank A.V. Balatsky, C. Morais-Smith, and J. Zaanen for fruitful discussions. Work at Brookhaven is supported by U.S. Department of Energy Contract No. DE-AC02-98CH10886. Work at ISSP is supported by a Grant-In Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science, and Tchnology, Japan