arXiv subjects

Nicolas Vidal-Silva

Publications and source records attributed to Nicolas Vidal-Silva.

11 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Magnon-dislon hybridization in magnetic insulators

Spin dynamics in ordered magnets with topological lattice defects is investigated. Using fracton--elasticity duality, we develop an effective field theory of magnons coupled to quantized lattice dislocations (dislons) in magnetic insulators. Within this framework, an elastic gauge field mediates a nonlocal interaction between dislocations and magnetization gradients. The resulting magnetoelastic coupling gives rise to coherent magnon-dislon hybridization whose properties are dictated by dislocation topology. Screw dislocations exhibit helicity-selective hybridization and symmetry-protected dark dislon sectors, while edge dislocations generate anisotropic hybrid excitations with finite spin-precession ellipticity through the glide constraint. Our results establish dislocations as dynamical topological defects with directly observable polarization fingerprints in magnon spectra, and reveal magnon-dislon hybridization as a new route to control spin dynamics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Ellipticity effects on diffusive magnon spin and heat transport in easy-plane ferromagnets

When a magnetic material hosts spin-wave excitations, or magnons, the local magnetization can rotate in circular or elliptical orbits, the latter arising naturally in the presence of magnetic anisotropies transverse to the equilibrium magnetization. This article investigates the diffusive transport of elliptical magnons in easy-plane ferromagnets. Our analysis starts with the derivation of the magnon dispersion relation and magnon spin from the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation with a perpendicular magnetic anisotropy. Then, using the Boltzmann transport equation in the relaxation time approximation and perturbation analysis, the magnon-spin and magnon thermal conductivities are obtained, quantifying the magnon transport in the insulator. Our calculations demonstrate that, in both three- and two-dimensional systems, the effects of ellipticity on magnon transport coefficients result in an enhancement or a decrease, depending on whether magnets with a easy or hard perpendicular-to-plane axis are considered, respectively. On the other hand, our results predict an enhancement of the magnon heat transport for both easy- and hard-axis magnetic systems. Our study supports previous works on magnon ellipticity and makes a step towards clarifying its effect on magnon transport properties.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

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↗

arXiv2026

Scattering theory of spin waves by lattice dislocation defects

We investigate spin-wave propagation in magnetic insulators in the presence of lattice dislocations. Within a continuum magnetoelastic framework, we show that the strain fields generated by dislocations induce equilibrium magnetic textures. The morphology of these textures depends sensitively on the dislocation type and acts as a localized scattering potential for spin-wave excitations. As a result, the scattering response exhibits pronounced asymmetries and interference effects governed by the magnetoelastic coupling and the dislocation type. By combining numerical simulations with analytical scattering theory, we compute differential cross sections and frequency-dependent transmission coefficients. Furthermore, analysis of the effective potential landscape reveals that the defect forms a barrier that modulates spin-wave transport and, crucially, breaks the intrinsic reflectionless nature of magnetic domain walls. Our findings identify lattice dislocations as tunable scattering centers, opening new avenues for defect engineering in magnonic devices.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Transport of Dirac magnons driven by gauge fields

We present a unified quantum field theory for Dirac magnons coupled to emergent gauge fields. At zero temperature, any space- and time-dependent gauge perturbation drives magnons out of equilibrium, generating spin currents and magnon accumulation without conventional thermal or chemical potential gradients. For a honeycomb ferromagnet, we derive closed-form expressions for the induced density and current. In the DC limit, the transverse spin conductivity quantizes to $σ^{xy}=α^2\text{sgn}(m)\hbar/4π$, a magnonic analog of the quantum Hall effect, where $m$ is the topological magnon mass and $α$ a dimensionless coupling constant. In the AC regime, the conductivity exhibits a sharp resonance when the drive frequency matches the topological gap $Δ$, signaling interband transitions. Our work establishes gauge fields as a versatile tool for controlling magnon transport and reveals topologically protected quantized responses.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Topological magnonic dislocations modes

Spin fluctuations in two-dimensional (2D) ferromagnets in the presence of crystalline lattice dislocations are investigated. We show the existence of topologically protected non-propagative modes that localize at dislocations. These in-gap states, coined as {\it magnonic dislocation modes}, are characterized by the $Z_2$ topological invariant that derives from parity symmetry broken induced by sublattice magnetic anisotropy. We uncover that bulk topology existing in the perfect crystal is robust under the influence of lattice defects, which is monitored by the real-space Bott index. It is also revealed that the topology of {magnonic dislocation modes} remains unaffected when bulk topology becomes trivial and is remarkably resilient against magnetic disorder. Our findings point to the intriguing relationship between topological lattice defects and the spectrum of topological spin excitations.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

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↗

arXiv2022

Time-dependent strain-tuning topological magnon phase transition

Collinear magnets in honeycomb lattices under the action of time-dependent strains are investigated. Given the limits of high-frequency periodically varying deformations, we derive an effective Floquet theory for spin system that results in the emergence of a spin chirality. We find that the coupling between magnons and spin chirality depends on the details of the strain such as the spatial dependence and applied direction. Magnonic fluctuations about the ferromagnetic state are determined, and it is found that spatially homogeneous strains drive the magnon system into topologically protected phases. In particular, we show that certain uniform strain fields play the role of an out-of-plane next-neighbor Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction. Furthermore, we explore the application of nonuniform strains, which lead to a confinement of magnon states that for uniaxial strains, propagates along the direction that preserves translational symmetry. Our work demonstrates a direct and novel way in which to manipulate the magnon spectrum based on time-dependent strain engineering that is relevant for exploring topological transitions in quantum magnonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

Manipulating the shape of flexible magnetoelastic nanodiscs with meron-like magnetic states

The control of the magnetic properties of shapeable devices and the manipulation of flexible structures by external magnetic fields is a keystone of future magnetoelectronics-based devices. This work studies the elastic properties of a magnetoelastic nanodisc that hosts a meron as the magnetic state and can be deformed from structures with positive to negative Gaussian curvature. We show that the winding number of the hosted meron is crucial to determine the curvature sign of the stable obtained shape. Additionally, we show that the optimum curvature reached by the nanodisc depends on geometrical and mechanical parameters. It is shown that an increase in the external radius, thickness, and Young's modulus lead to a decrease in the optimum curvature absolute value. Finally, it is shown that the nanodisc's shape also depends on the connection between the polarity and chirality of the vortex-like meron.

physics.class-ph↗

arXiv2020

Topological magnonics in the two-dimensional van der Waals magnet CrI3

In this article, we calculate the magnon spectrum of Kitaev-Heisenberg magnets. This model has been recently proposed as a spin Hamiltonian to model $\text{CrI}_3$ and other two-dimensional magnets. It is a minimal spin Hamiltonian that includes a contribution stemming from a Heisenberg, isotropic exchange, and a contribution arising from a Kitaev interaction, anisotropic and frustrated exchange. Our calculations reveal the topological nature of the magnons and a gap that opens at the $K$ and $K^\prime$ points. These topological properties give rise to effects such as thermal Hall effect. In addition to the bulk properties, we calculate the magnon spectrum of nanoribbons illustrating the corresponding edge states.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2019

Magnon-phonon interactions in magnetic insulators

We address the theory of magnon-phonon interactions and compute the corresponding quasi-particle and transport lifetimes in magnetic insulators with focus on yttrium iron garnet at intermediate temperatures from anisotropy- and exchange-mediated magnon-phonon interactions, the latter being derived from the volume dependence of the Curie temperature. We find in general weak effects of phonon scattering on magnon transport and the Gilbert damping of the macrospin Kittel mode. The magnon transport lifetime differs from the quasi-particle lifetime at shorter wavelengths.

cond-mat.str-el↗