We investigate the one-triplet dispersion in a modified Shastry-Sutherland model for SrCu 2 (BO 3 ) 2 by means of a series expansion about the limit of strong dimerization. Our perturbative method is based on a continuous unitary transformation that maps the original Hamiltonian to an effective, energy-quanta-conserving block diagonal Hamiltonian H eff . The dispersion splits into two branches which are nearly degenerate. We analyse the symmetries of the model and show that space group operations are necessary to explain the degeneracy of the dispersion at k = 0 and at the border of the magnetic Brillouin zone. Moreover, we investigate the behaviour of the dispersion for small |k| and compare our results to inelastic neutron scattering data.

In experiments, the ternary Eu pnictide EuRh2P2 shows an unusual coexistence of a non-integral Eu valence of about 2.2 and a rather high Néel temperature of 50 K. In this paper, we present a model which explains the non-integral Eu valence via covalent bonding of the Eu 4f-orbitals to P2 molecular orbitals. In contrast to intermediate valence models where the hybridization with delocalized conduction band electrons is known to suppress magnetic ordering temperatures to at most a few Kelvin, covalent hybridization to the localized P2 orbitals avoids this suppression. Using perturbation theory we calculate the valence, the high temperature susceptibility, the Eu singleion anisotropy and the superexchange couplings of nearest and next-nearest neighbouring Eu ions. The model predicts a tetragonal anisotropy of the Curie constants. We suggest an experimental investigation of this anisotropy using single crystals. From experimental values of the valence and the two Curie constants, the three free parameters of our model can be determined.

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