Fine structure of the incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations in single-crystalline LiFeAs studied by inelastic neutron scattering

We present an inelastic neutron scattering study on single-crystalline LiFeAs devoted to the characterization of the incommensurate antiferromagnetic fluctuations at Q=(0.5±δ,0.5∓δ,qₗ). Time-of-flight measurements show the presence of these magnetic fluctuations up to an energy transfer of 60 meV, while polarized neutrons in combination with a longitudinal polarization analysis on a triple-axis spectrometer prove the pure magnetic origin of this signal. The normalization of the magnetic scattering to an absolute scale yields that magnetic fluctuations in LiFeAs are by a factor of 8 weaker than the resonance signal in nearly optimally Co-doped BaFe₂As₂, although a factor of 2 is recovered due to the split peaks owing to the incommensurability. The longitudinal polarization analysis indicates weak spin-space anisotropy with a slightly stronger out-of-plane component between 6 and 12 meV. Furthermore, our data suggest a fine structure of the magnetic signal most likely arising from superposing nesting vectors.