Spinon Confinement and a Longitudinal Mode in One Dimensional Yb₂Pt₂Pb

The Yb³⁺ magnetic moments in Yb₂Pt₂Pb are seemingly classical, since the large spin-orbit coupling of the 4f-electrons and the crystal electric field dictate a J = +/-7/2 Yb ground state doublet. Surprisingly, the fundamental low energy magnetic excitations in Yb₂Pt₂Pb are spinons on one dimensional chains, shown to be in good agreement with the behavior expected with the XXZ Hamiltonian for nearly isotropic, S = +/-1/2 magnetic moments. We have performed new high resolution neutron scattering measurements to examine the properties of these excitations in a magnetic field. In fields larger than 0.5 T, the chemical potential closes the gap to the spinon dispersion, modifying the quantum continuum through the formation of a spinon Fermi surface. This leads to the formation of spinon bound states along the chains, coupled to a longitudinally polarized interchain mode at energies below the quantum continuum. The ground state doublet nature of the Yb ions ensures that at all fields, transverse excitations are virtually nonexistent, giving unprecedented access to only the longitudinal excitation channel without the presence of spin waves or other transverse damping mechanisms, allowing direct measurement of the mode dispersion.