Multi-orbital nature of the spin fluctuations in Sr₂RuO₄

¹ Department of Physics, University of Fribourg - 1700 Fribourg, Switzerland
² I. Institut für Theoretische Physik, Universität Hamburg - D-20355 Hamburg, Germany

Received: 9 June 2018
Accepted: 22 June 2018

Abstract

The spin susceptibility of strongly correlated Sr₂RuO₄ is known to display a rich structure in reciprocal space, with a prominent peak at . It is still debated if the resulting incommensurate spin-density-wave fluctuations foster unconventional superconductivity at low temperature or compete therewith. By means of density functional theory combined with dynamical mean-field theory, we reveal the realistic multi-orbital signature of the (dynamic) spin susceptibility beyond existing weak-coupling approaches. The experimental fluctuation spectrum up to 80 meV is confirmed by theory. Furthermore, the peak at Q_i is shown to carry nearly equal contributions from each of the Ru orbitals, pointing to a cooperative effect resulting in the dominant spin fluctuations.