Neutron Scattering Studies on the High-T_c Superconductor La_3Ni_2O_7-δ at Ambient Pressure

After several decades of studies of high-temperature superconductivity, there is no compelling theory for the mechanism yet; however, the spin fluctuations have been widely believed to play a crucial role in forming the superconducting Cooper pairs. The recent discovery of high-temperature superconductivity near 80 K in the bilayer nickelate La_3Ni_2O_7 under pressure provides a new platform to elucidate the origins of high-temperature superconductivity. We perform elastic and inelastic neutron scattering studies on a polycrystalline sample of La_3Ni_2O_7-δ at ambient pressure. No magnetic order can be identified down to 10 K. However, we observe a weak flat spin-fluctuation signal at ∼ 45 meV in the inelastic scattering spectra. The observed spin excitations could be interpreted as a result of strong interlayer and weak intralayer magnetic couplings for a double-stripe antiferromagnetic order. The absence of long-range magnetic order in neutron diffraction measurements may be ascribed to a short-range magnetic correlation length perpendicular to the stripe direction. Our results provide crucial information on the spin dynamics and are thus important for understanding the superconductivity in La_3Ni_2O_7.