Spin-isotropic continuum of spin excitations in antiferromagnetically ordered Fe$_{1.07}$Te

Abstract

Unconventional superconductivity typically emerges in the presence of quasi-degenerate ground states, and the associated intense fluctuations are likely responsible for generating the superconducting state. Here we use polarized neutron scattering to study the spin space anisotropy of spin excitations in Fe$_{1.07}$Te exhibiting bicollinear antiferromagnetic (AF) order, the parent compound of FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$ superconductors. We confirm that the low energy spin excitations are transverse spin waves, consistent with a local-moment origin of the bicollinear AF order. While the ordered moments lie in the $ab$-plane in Fe$_{1.07}$Te, it takes less energy for them to fluctuate out-of-plane, similar to BaFe$_2$As$_2$ and NaFeAs. At energies above $E\gtrsim20$ meV, we find magnetic scattering to be dominated by an isotropic continuum that persists up to at least 50 meV. Although the isotropic spin excitations cannot be ascribed to spin waves from a long-range ordered local moment antiferromagnet, the continuum can result from the bicollinear magnetic order ground state of Fe$_{1.07}$Te being quasi-degenerate with plaquette magnetic order.