Lattice and magnetic dynamics in polar chiral incommensurate antiferromagnet Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$

Abstract

Complex systems with coexisting polarity, chirality and incommensurate magnetism are of great interest because they open new degrees of freedom in interaction between different subsystems and therefore they host a plethora of intriguing physical properties. Here we report on optical properties and lattice and spin dynamics of Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$ single crystals studied with the use of polarized optical microscopy and micro-Raman spectroscopy in the temperature range 10-300 K. Ni$_2$InSbO$_6$ crystallizes in a polar structure described by the noncentrosymmetric space group R3 and two types of structural domains were visualized due to natural optical activity of opposite chirality. Raman tensor elements of most A and E phonons along with their symmetry were determined. The manifestation of LO-TO splitting was observed for the A modes. By tracking the temperature dependencies of phonon frequencies the well pronounced spin-phonon interaction was observed for several modes below and above the N\'eel transition temperature TN = 76 K. In antiferromagnetic phase a wide excitation centred at 247 cm-1 was detected and assigned to the two-magnon mode and this value was used for estimating exchange parameters through linear spin-wave theory calculations.