Orbital excitations in YTiO3 and LaTiO3 probed by resonant inelastic soft x-ray scattering

We have performed resonant inelastic x-ray scattering (RIXS) experiments at the L-2/3 edge (2p -> 3d) of the Mott insulators LaTiO3 and YTiO3. Pronounced electronic excitations are observed at an energy of similar to 0.25 eV in both materials. These modes had been assigned to orbital excitations based on prior optical Raman scattering experiments. The present RIXS experiment strongly supports the Ti 3d orbital character of the excitations and confirms the great potential of high resolution soft x-ray RIXS as a probe of electronic excitations in complex materials.