Spin-Orbital Excitations in Ca2RuO4 Revealed by Resonant Inelastic X-Ray Scattering

The strongly correlated insulator Ca2RuO4 is considered as a paradigmatic realization of both spin-orbital physics and a band-Mott insulating phase, characterized by orbitally selective coexistence of a band and a Mott gap. We present a high resolution oxygen K-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering study of the antiferromagnetic Mott insulating state of Ca2RuO4. A set of low-energy (about 80 and 400 meV) and high-energy (about 1.3 and 2.2 eV) excitations are reported, which show strong incident light polarization dependence. Our results strongly support a spin-orbit coupled band-Mott scenario and explore in detail the nature of its exotic excitations. Guided by theoretical modeling, we interpret the low-energy excitations as a result of composite spin-orbital excitations. Their nature unveils the intricate interplay of crystal-field splitting and spin-orbit coupling in the band-Mott scenario. The high-energy excitations correspond to intra-atomic singlet-triplet transitions at an energy scale set by Hund’s coupling. Our findings give a unifying picture of the spin and orbital excitations in the band-Mott insulator Ca2RuO4.