NMR Study of Carrier Doping Effects on Spin Gaps in the Spin LadderSr14xAxCu24O41(A=Ca, Y, and La)

Abstract
Carrier doping effects on spin dynamics in Sr14xAxCu24O41 ( A=Ca, Y, and La) are investigated by Cu NMR and NQR. The energy gaps in the spin excitation spectra (spin gap) are confirmed to be Δ=140K for the CuO2 chain and Δ=470K for the Cu2 O3 ladder in Sr14Cu24 O41. The spin gap for the ladder increases with the Y and La substitutions for Sr (up to x=3), while it decreases with increasing x in Sr14xCaxCu24O41 and seems to collapse around x=13 of the Ca substitution. Hole-doping effects on the spin gaps for the ladder configuration are interpreted in terms of magnon and hole-depairing excitations for the spin S=12 ladder.