Partial differential cross section of inelastic magnetic neutron scattering in the paramagnetic phase of LaCoO3

The partial differential cross section of inelastic magnetic neutron scattering from the compound LaCoO₃ in the paramagnetic phase is studied theoretically. The contribution to scattering from the high-spin state of an ion in zero magnetic field and the modification of this contribution upon application of a magnetic field are calculated using the effective Hamiltonian for the ⁵ D term. The amplitude of the peak in the dependence of the scattering cross section on the energy of scattered neutrons, which corresponds to the transition from the low-spin to the intermediate-spin state, is estimated.