We employ a combination of pulsed- and continuous-wave polarized terahertz spectroscopy techniques to probe temperature-dependent spin waves in the antiferromagnet $\mathrm{Nd}\mathrm{Fe}{\mathrm{O}}_3$. Our optical data span 1.6–467 K and reveal a conspicuous spin reorientation between 110 and 170 K, during which the lower-energy mode softens completely. Complementary inelastic neutron scattering reveals that the frequencies of the optically excited spin waves are consistent with a temperature-variable spin gap in the low-energy spin-wave dispersion of $\mathrm{Nd}\mathrm{Fe}{\mathrm{O}}_3$. The result links the temperature dependence of the spin waves to a dynamic in-plane anisotropy. The magnetic anisotropy is calculated based on the results of the optical measurements. The change observed in the anisotropy energy along the $a$ and $c$ crystal axes suggests that the spin reorientation evident in $\mathrm{Nd}\mathrm{Fe}{\mathrm{O}}_3$ is driven by temperature-dependent in-plane anisotropy.

• Received 24 May 2014
• Revised 27 July 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.054413