RIXS exploration of the electronic and magnetic excitations in FePS3

In 2D antiferromagnetic MPS3 compounds – M is a 3d transition metal – the correlation between spin and orbital excitations often leads to strong coupling between the electronic transitions and the lattice magnetic order. This quantum behavior looks particularly appealing in view of the development of opto-spintronic devices. Unlike other members of the family, no evidences have been reported up to now for FePS3, despite the higher magnetic moment of iron. Our preliminary Resonant Inelastic X-ray Scattering (RIXS) measurements at the Fe L3 edge show indications of a possible correlation between dd electronic transitions and magnetic excitations, also supported by simulations. Our hypothesis deserves RIXS investigations with varying temperature, photon energy and exchange momentum in order to clarify the coupling mechanism.