Miguel Letelier | Searcharxiv

arXiv2026

Caloric Phenomena and Stirling-Cycle Performance in Heisenberg- Kitaev Magnon Systems

We investigate the Stirling-cycle performance of a Heisenberg--Kitaev magnonic medium with Dzyaloshinskii--Moriya (DM) interactions. Using linear spin-wave theory, we show the DM interaction preserves spectral symmetry, yielding even caloric responses and symmetric Stirling engine efficiency. In contrast, bond-dependent Kitaev exchange asymmetrically distorts the magnonic density of states, enabling distinct direct and inverse caloric effects. Consequently, Kitaev-driven cycles achieve significantly higher efficiencies than DM-driven protocols, approaching a high-performance saturation regime for negative couplings. This establishes exchange-anisotropic magnets as highly tunable platforms for nanoscale solid-state energy conversion.

cond-mat.stat-mech↗

arXiv2025

Magnons in the strained Heisenberg-Kitaev magnet

The properties of magnons hosted in strained Heisenberg-Kitaev magnets are investigated using numerical and analytical calculations. Considering that deformation fields modulate the coupling parameters, we find a general expression for the weakly strained magnon Hamiltonian that depends on the (symmetric) strain tensor. We numerically tested our results in finite nanoribbon structures. We found that uniaxial deformations make the bulk bands more dispersive while topologically protected in-gap edge modes become nonreciprocal at the boundary of the Brillouin Zone. On the other hand, when applying a twist deformation, the simultaneous modulation of both Heisenberg and Kitaev parameters enables the apparition of flat bands, promoting the presence of non-propagative topologically protected magnonic edge states, whose properties strongly depends on the strain strength. In addition, the characteristic localization of magnon edge modes is preserved, which allows for testing the robustness of the bulk-boundary correspondence under lattice deformations. Our results contribute to a major understanding of Heisenberg-Kitaev magnets and how applying different strains allows for precise control over magnon properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗