Neutron inelastic scattering investigation of the magnetic excitations in Cu 2 Te 2 O 5 X 2 (X=Br,Cl)

Neutron inelastic scattering investigations have been performed on the spin tetrahedral system Cu{sub 2}Te{sub 2}O{sub 5}X{sub 2} (X=Cl,Br). We report the observation of magnetic excitations with a dispersive component in both compounds, associated with the three-dimensional incommensurate magnetic order that develops below T{sub N}{sup Cl}=18.2 K and T{sub N}{sup Br}=11.4 K. The excitation in Cu{sub 2}Te{sub 2}O{sub 5}Cl{sub 2} softens as the temperature approaches T{sub N}{sup Cl}, leaving diffuse quasi-elastic scattering above the transition temperature. In the bromide, the excitations are present well above T{sub N}{sup Br}, which might be attributed to the presence of a degree of low dimensional correlations above T{sub N}{sup Br} in this compound.