arXiv subjects

Jonas Fransson

Publications and source records attributed to Jonas Fransson.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Curvature-Controlled Topological Magnon Phases in a Folded Kagome Lattice

We show that geometric curvature, encoded in the folding angle between two corner-sharing triangles on a kagome lattice, provides a continuous tuning knob for topological magnon phase. Starting from an extended spin Hamiltonian with exchange, Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya (DM) interaction, and a higher-order bow-tie coupling of scalar chiralities, we derive the chirality-mediated hopping amplitude, which depends on the folding and spin canting of the bow-tie triangles. At small folding and canting angles, the bow-tie coupling surpasses DM, establishing a curvature-dominated regime. These results establish curvature as an intrinsic geometric control parameter for topological magnonics and reveal a direct analogy with chirality-induced spin selectivity in molecular systems, pointing to a unified mechanism for chirality driven transport across scales. The mechanism is particularly relevant for chiral crystals where the DM interaction is weak or forbidden by symmetry, as in systems with a six-fold screw axis.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Dynamic Breaking of Mirror Symmetry in Spin-Dependent Electron Transport through Chiral Media Causes Enantiomeric Excesses

Two fundamental questions have puzzled scientists for more than 150 years. How did life become homochiral and why was this specific handedness selected. Recently, it has been shown that homochirality could have emerged through the enantioselective interactions of molecules with magnetic substrates due to the asymmetric crystallization of an RNA precursor on a magnetite substrate, abundant on early Earth. This phenomenon is based on the chirality-induced spin selectivity,CISS, effect. Despite its robustness, this model could not provide an answer to the second question: why one specific handedness, D for RNA, was selected. Here we demonstrate that spin-involving processes can have different outcomes in the two enantiomers of chiral molecules. In chiral molecules with unpaired electrons or while electrons are passing through them, the total angular momentum vector, J, is aligned along the easy axis, which is defined by the magnetic anisotropy induced by the spin-orbit coupling and asymmetry of the molecular field. The magnitude J is the same for both enantiomers, but the vectors may be aligned differently relative to the molecular frame in the two enantiomers. This difference can be quantified by, for example, by the angle between J and electric dipole moment of the molecule. We show by direct measurements, theory, and ab initio calculations that dynamic spin processes in chiral molecules could result in different efficiencies of spin-related phenomena, including the interaction of chiral molecules with magnetic surfaces. The findings may provide an explanation for the specific homochirality in nature.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2026

Two-site Bose-Hubbard hopping and Schr\"odinger cat states

The Bose-Hubbard Hamiltonian can be simplified to have only two lattice sites, in which case the system being described is referred to as a dimer. Due to its structure, the hopping term of the dimer Hamiltonian enjoys invariance in a family of subspaces indexed by a whole number $k$, each subspace corresponding to a system of only $k$ particles. We have invented an inductive argument using the bosonic canonical commutation relations to find the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the dimer hopping Hamiltonian in its $k$-particle subspaces. In particular, this Hamiltonian, when restricted to one of the $k$-particle subspaces, is exactly the spin projection operator along the $x$-axis, where the number of particles $k$ in the dimer system yields the projection matrix for spin quantum number $s=k/2$. Thus, a new method for computing the eigenvalues and eigenvectors of the $x$-axis spin projector has been unearthed. We use the explicit construction to study the dynamics of coherent states induced by the square of the dimer hopping hamiltonian. We find that it generates Schr\"{o}dinger cat states in the two-site setting.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2025

Spin Dependence of Charge Dynamics and Group Velocity in Chiral Molecules

Chiral molecules are known to preferentially select electrons with a particular spin state, an effect termed chirality-induced spin selectivity (CISS). In this work, the transient CISS dynamics in a chiral molecule are investigated through time-dependent quantum-transport simulations, an important step toward further understanding CISS and its application in devices such as magnetoresistive random access memories and spin-based quantum computers. We show that the spin-dependent group velocity of electrons is a possible contributor to a nonzero occupancy-based spin polarization throughout the chiral molecule. Contrary to the case which a chiral molecule is connected to a single lead, this spin polarization persists into the steady state when two leads are connected. We show that the simulated spin polarization qualitatively agrees with a reference experiment, as evidenced by the distinct magnetic-field signatures calculated from the spin polarization within a monolayer of chiral molecules.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Emergent Topology in Kagome Ferromagnets

We investigate the emergence of a topological magnon phase in a two-dimensional kagome ferromagnet with Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) and scalar spin chirality. By incorporating a chiral interaction term proportional to the scalar triple product chi_ijk = S_i (S_j x S_k), we examine how the interplay between DMI and the topological orbital coupling kappa_TO gives rise to geometric phase, nontrivial Berry curvature, and quantized Chern numbers in the magnon bands. Using a momentum-space representation and linear spin-wave theory, we compute the orbital texture, its vorticity, and the Berry curvature across the Brillouin zone. We show that noncoplanar spin textures, driven by finite DMI, form momentum-space skyrmions that act as sources of geometric curvature. Importantly, we demonstrate that DMI alone is insufficient to break time-reversal symmetry; only the presence of finite scalar chirality terms allows the system to develop a nonzero Berry phase and topological transport signatures. We further explore the effect of a global plaquette rotation, showing that while the band structure remains invariant under this unitary transformation, the Berry curvature and Chern number are modulated, highlighting the geometric sensitivity of the topological response. Our results establish a direct correspondence between the lattice geometry, chirality, and magnon topology, providing a route toward tunable topological phases in frustrated magnetic systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Lattice tuning of charge and spin transport in $\beta_{12}$-borophene nanoribbons

$\beta_{12}$-borophene nanoribbons (BNRs) exhibit magnetic zigzag edges, while other edge configurations are nonmagnetic. However, when the source, central, and drain regions of a logic device are all composed of zigzag BNRs (ZBNRs), the resulting spin polarization remains weak, unless a high voltage is applied. In this work, we demonstrate that lattice vibrations-introduced for example, via a thermal bath coupled to the central BNR-can enhance spin polarization in ZBNRs. This enhancement manifests as marked changes in the current-voltage characteristics, enabling direct experimental probing. In contrast, nonmagnetic edge configurations exhibit phonon-enhanced charge transport. We employ a tight-binding approach augmented with local electron-phonon interactions described by the Holstein model, and compute the phonon-renormalized Green's functions and transport currents using the Landauer-B\"{u}ttiker formalism. The mechanism is supported by analyzing both spinless and spinful electronic dispersions and the corresponding density of states. Compared to the phonon-free edges, structural distortions lead to anisotropic electron-phonon couplings, which significantly modify both charge and spin transport. These results position phonon as an effective tuning parameter for optimizing borophene-based logic devices via engineered edge configurations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2024

Chiral Phonons Enhance Ferromagnetism

Recent experiments suggest that the conditions for ferromagnetic order in, e.g., magnetite, can be modified by adsorption of chiral molecules. Especially, the coercivity of magnetite was increased by nearly 100 \%, or 20 times the earth magnetic flux density, at room temperature. The coercivity was, moreover, demonstrated to increase linearly with temperature in a finite range around room temperature. Based on these results, a mechanism is proposed for providing the necessary enhancement of the magnetic anisotropy. It is shown that nuclear vibrations (phonons) coupled to ferromagnetic spin excitations (magnons) absorb the thermal energy in the system, thereby diverting the excess energy that otherwise would excite magnons in the ferromagnet. This energy diversion, not only restores the ferromagnetic order but also enhances its stability by increasing the anisotropy energy for magnon excitations. The coupling between phonons with magnons is enabled by chirality due to the lack of inversion symmetry.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2024

Temperature-Enhanced Coercive Field by Chiral Molecules

The chiral-induced spin selectivity (CISS) effect demonstrates a strong coupling between electron spin and molecular chirality, enabling spin-controlled interactions between chiral molecules and magnetic surfaces. While CISS experiments have revealed robust changes in the spin-polarization properties of magnetic materials upon chiral molecular adsorption, the temperature dependence of these effects remains poorly understood. Here, we investigate the temperature dependence of the chirality-induced increase in magnetic coercivity by ribose-aminooxazoline (RAO) crystals on ferromagnetic surfaces. RAO was selected as a conglomerate-forming, thermodynamically stable crystalline chiral organic molecule with prebiotic relevance that has previously been shown to induce strong spin-dependent changes in magnetic minerals. Contrary to classical expectations that magnetic coercivity weakens at elevated temperatures, we observe a significant increase in magnetic coercivity (1 mT over a 60 C temperature change) with increasing temperature. These results support a vibronic contribution to CISS arising from electron-phonon interactions and demonstrate that spin-dependent interactions between chiral molecules and magnetic surfaces can become more effective at higher temperatures, providing new insight into the microscopic origins of CISS and the environmental robustness of spin-controlled asymmetric processes.

physics.chem-ph↗

arXiv2023

Insights into the Mechanism underlying the Chiral-Induced Spin Selectivity: The effect of an Angle-Dependent Magnetic Field and Temperature

Chiral oligopeptide monolayers were adsorbed on a ferromagnetic surface and their magnetoresistance was measured as a function of the angle between the magnetization of the ferromagnet and the surface normal. These measurements were conducted as a function of temperature for both enantiomers. The angle dependence was found to follow the cosine square function. Quantum simulations revealed that the angular distribution could be obtained only if the monolayer has significant effective spin orbit coupling (SOC), that includes contribution from the vibrations. The model shows that SOC only in the leads cannot reproduce the observed angular dependence. The simulation can reproduce the experiments only if it included electron-phonon interactions and dissipation.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2023

Unraveling the connection between high-order magnetic interactions and local-to-global spin Hamiltonian in non-collinear magnetic dimers

A spin Hamiltonian, which characterizes interatomic interactions between spin moments, is highly valuable in predicting and comprehending the magnetic properties of materials. A deeper understanding of the microscopic origin of magnetic interactions can open new pathways toward realizing nanometer-scale systems for future spintronic devices. Here, we explore a method for explicitly calculating interatomic exchange interactions in non-collinear configurations of magnetic materials considering only a bilinear spin Hamiltonian in a local scenario. Based on density-functional theory (DFT) calculations of dimers adsorbed on metallic surfaces, and with a focus on the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) which is essential for stabilizing chiral non-collinear magnetic states, we discuss the interpretation of the DMI when decomposed into microscopic electron and spin densities and currents. We clarify the distinct origins of spin currents induced in the system and their connection to the DMI. In addition, we reveal how non-collinearity affects the usual DMI, which is solely induced by spin-orbit coupling, and DMI-like interactions brought about by non-collinearity. We explain how the dependence of the DMI on the magnetic configuration establishes a connection between high-order magnetic interactions, enabling the transition from a local to a global spin Hamiltonian.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2023

Temperature-anisotropy conjugate magnon squeezing in antiferromagnets

Quantum squeezing is an essential asset in the field of quantum science and technology. In this study, we investigate the impact of temperature and anisotropy on squeezing of quantum fluctuations in two-mode magnon states within uniaxial antiferromagnetic materials. Through our analysis, we discover that the inherent nonlinearity in these bipartite magnon systems gives rise to a conjugate magnon squeezing effect across all energy eigenbasis states, driven by temperature and anisotropy. We show that temperature induces amplitude squeezing, whereas anisotropy leads to phase squeezing. In addition, we observe that the two-mode squeezing characteristic of magnon eigenenergy states is associated with amplitude squeezing. This highlights the constructive impact of temperature and the destructive impact of anisotropy on two-mode magnon squeezing. Nonetheless, our analysis shows that the destructive effect of anisotropy is bounded. We demonstrate this by showing that, at a given temperature, the squeezing of the momentum (phase) quadrature (or equivalently, the stretching of the position (amplitude) quadrature) approaches a constant function of anisotropy after a finite value of anisotropy. Moreover, our study demonstrates that higher magnon squeeze factors can be achieved at higher temperatures, smaller levels of anisotropy, and closer to the Brillouin zone center. All these characteristics are specific to low-energy magnons in the uniaxial antiferromagnetic materials that we examine here.

quant-ph↗

arXiv2022

Quantum shape oscillations in the thermodynamic properties of confined electrons in core-shell nanostructures

Quantum shape effect appears under the size-invariant shape transformations of strongly confined structures. Such a transformation distinctively influences the thermodynamic properties of confined particles. Due to their characteristic geometry, core-shell nanostructures are good candidates for quantum shape effects to be observed. Here we investigate the thermodynamic properties of non-interacting degenerate electrons confined in core-shell nanowires consisting of an insulating core and a GaAs semiconducting shell. We derive the expressions of shape-dependent thermodynamic quantities and show the existence of a new type of quantum oscillations due to shape dependence, in chemical potential, internal energy, entropy and specific heat of confined electrons. We provide physical understanding of our results by invoking the quantum boundary layer concept and evaluating the distributions of quantized energy levels on Fermi function and in state space. Besides the density, temperature and size, the shape per se also becomes a control parameter on the Fermi energy of confined electrons, which provides a new mechanism for fine tuning the Fermi level and changing the polarity of semiconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Quantum coherence driven magnetic ordering in biased three level coordination compounds

Novel understanding of the recent nanomagnet tailoring experiments and the possibility to further unveil the mechanisms by which the magnetic interactions arise in an atom by atom fashion covers importance as the demand for spin qubit and quantum state detection architectures increases. Here, we address the spin states of a molecular trimer comprising three localized spin moments embedded in a metallic tunnel junction and show that the pair spin interactions can be engineered through the electronic structure of the molecular trimer. We show that bias and gate voltages induce either a completely ferromagnetic state of the localized moments or a spin frustrated state with different stabilities, and that switching between these states is possible on demand by electrical control. The role of quantum coherence in the molecular trimer is discussed with regards to the spin ordering as well as the interplay among electronic interference and induced dephasing by the metallic leads. This work sets foundations for more robust all electrically controlled spin architectures usable in quantum engineering systems and serves as a test bench for exploring unresolved questions in magnetic ordering and symmetry.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

The impact of defects on excitations in two-dimensional bipartite uniaxial antiferromagnet insulators

We address scatterings of spin waves off uncorrelated defects in two-dimensional (2D) easy-axis antiferromagnet (AFM) insulators. Although an onsite magnetic anisotropy leads gapped Goldstone modes, such that a long range (AFM) order can be established in 2D, lattice imperfections tend to weaken, and eventually destroy the magnetic ordering. Here, the impact of defects is considered within two limits, single and multiple defects. Using Green's function, we perform self consistent simulations to study magnon properties such as density of states and lifetime of induced resonances. Our findings show that repulsive defects decrease the magnon density of states while attractive ones may enhance it. We provide a comprehensive analysis of how defects can result in a reduction and even closing, the anisotropy induced gap, which weakens the long range (AFM) order parameter in the 2D state. We conclude that a small concentration of random defects can fill the gap of magnon spectrum.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

The temperature-dependent chiral-induced spin selectivity effect: Experiments and theory

The theoretical explanation for the chiral-induced spin selectivity effect, in which electrons' passage through a chiral system depends on their spin and the handedness of the system, remains vague. Although most experimental work was performed at room temperature, most of the proposed theories did not include vibrations. Here, we present temperature-dependent experiments and a theoretical model that captures all observations and provides spin polarization values that are consistent with the experimental results. The model includes vibrational contribution to the spin orbit coupling. It shows the importance of dissipation and the relation between the effect and the optical activity.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Thermal squeezing and nonlinear spectral shift of magnons in antiferromagnetic insulators

We investigate the effect of magnon-magnon interactions on the dispersion and polarization of magnons in collinear antiferromagnetic (AF) insulators at finite temperatures. In two-sublattice AF systems with either uniaxial or biaxial magnetocrystalline anisotropies, we implement a self-consistent Hartree-Fock mean-field approximation to explore the nonlinear thermal interactions. The resulting nonlinear magnon interactions separate into two-magnon intra- and interband scattering processes. Furthermore, we compute the temperature dependence of the magnon bandgap and AF resonance modes due to nonlinear magnon interactions for square and hexagonal lattices. In addition, we study the effect of magnon interactions on the polarization of magnon modes. We find that although the noninteracting eigenmodes in the uniaxial case are circularly polarized, but in the presence of nonlinear thermal interactions the local U(1) symmetry of the Hamiltonian is broken. The attractive nonlinear interactions squeeze the low-energy magnon modes and make them elliptical. In the biaxial case, on the other hand, the bare eigenmodes of low energy magnons are elliptically polarized but thermal nonlinear interactions squeeze them further. Direct measurements of the predicted temperature-dependent AF resonance modes and their polarization can be used as a tool to probe the nonlinear interactions. Our findings establish a framework for exploring the effect of thermal magnon interactions in technologically important magnetic systems, such as magnetic stability of recently discovered two-dimensional magnetic materials, coherent transport of magnons, Bose-Einstein condensation of magnons, and magnonic topological insulators.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2021

Monolayer CrCl$_3$ as an ideal Test Bed for the Universality Classes of 2D Magnetism

The monolayer halides CrX$_3$ (X=Cl, Br, I) attract significant attention for realizing 2D magnets with genuine long-range order (LRO), challenging the Mermin-Wagner theorem. Here, we show that monolayer CrCl$_3$ has the unique benefit of exhibiting tunable magnetic anisotropy upon applying a compressive strain. This opens the possibility to use CrCl$_3$ for producing and studying both ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic 2D Ising-type LRO as well as the Berezinskii-Kosterlitz-Thouless (BKT) regime of 2D magnetism with quasi-LRO. Using state-of-the-art density functional theory, we explain how realistic compressive strain could be used to tune the monolayer's magnetic properties so that it could exhibit any of these phases. Building on large-scale quantum Monte Carlo simulations, we compute the phase diagram of strained CrCl$_3$, as well as the magnon spectrum with spin-wave theory. Our results highlight the eminent suitability of monolayer CrCl$_3$ to achieve very high BKT transition temperatures, around 50 K, due to their singular dependence on the weak easy-plane anisotropy of the material.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2021

Thermodefect voltage in graphene nanoribbon junctions

Thermoelectric junctions are often made of components of different materials characterized by distinct transport properties. Single material junctions, with the same type of charge carriers, have also been considered to investigate various classical and quantum effects on the thermoelectric properties of nanostructured materials. We here introduce the concept of defect-induced thermoelectric voltage, namely, {\it thermodefect voltage}, in graphene nanoribbon (GNR) junctions under a temperature gradient. Our thermodefect junction is formed by two GNRs with identical properties except the existence of defects in one of the nanoribbons. At room temperature the thermodefect voltage is highly sensitive to the types of defects, their locations, as well as the width and edge configurations of the GNRs. We demonstrate that the thermodefect voltage can be as high as $1.7\,$mV/K for $555$-$777$ defects in semiconducting armchair GNRs. We further investigate the Seebeck coefficient, electrical conductance, and electronic thermal conductance, and also the power factor of the individual junction components to explain the thermodefect effect. Taken together, our study presents a new pathway to enhance the thermoelectric properties of nanomaterials.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗