Zhang-Rice Exciton propagation in van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS3

Van der Waals (vdw) materials with magnetic order have emerged as highly intriguing flatforms for new quantum states. Especially notable is the discovery of Zhang-Rice excitons. Although these states have been shown to exist, the way they propagate within a crystal is entirely unknown, even though this information is important for their role in, for example, novel magneto-optical effects that are currently being explored quite intensely. In this proposal, we will use ultra-high energy resolution Ni L3-edge resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) to measure the exciton dispersion in the vdw antiferromagnet NiPS3 and determine a detailed model describing their propagation.