Dynamical moment fragmentation in the all-in all-out pyrochlore Nd2Sn2O7

Abstract

We report single-crystal neutron spectroscopy and bulk characterization on hydrothermally grown Nd2Sn2O7, revealing a dynamical moment fragmentation embedded within the all-in-all-out ordered state. The spectra show a nearly flat band with pinch-point-like momentum dependence, accompanied by dispersive branches that generate half-moon features across multiple Brillouin zones. These defining signatures are captured quantitatively by a minimal dipolar-octupolar spin Hamiltonian, demonstrating excellent agreement between experiment and theory. The higher flat-mode energy helps account for the absence of dynamical interference in prior muon spin relaxation (muSR) studies, while the lack of any photon-like excitation imposes strict constraints on the proposed Coulombic antiferromagnet scenario. Our results extend dynamical moment fragmentation to Nd2Sn2O7 and identify it as a clean, tractable platform for quantitative exploration of emergent gauge-field physics and multipolar spin-wave dynamics in frustrated magnets.