arXiv subjects

Alexander Mook

Publications and source records attributed to Alexander Mook.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Anti-spin Laue groups: classification of anti-altermagnets and their representative minimal models

Anti-altermagnets exhibit odd-parity nonrelativistic spin splitting, yet unlike even-parity altermagnets, their momentum-space symmetries lack a reduced classification analogous to spin Laue groups. Here, we introduce anti-spin Laue groups, organized into three distinct classes, and identify 21 groups describing the odd-parity partial wave character of this unconventional class. Together with the 10 spin Laue groups of altermagnets, they complete the classification of nonrelativistic unconventional magnets with collinear momentum-space spin polarization. Anti-spin Laue groups also provide a many-to-one reduction of spin space (point) groups by retaining only their action on the collinear momentum-space spin polarization, thereby directly encoding the symmetry-enforced nodal spin-splitting character. Based on this we develop a systematic model-construction algorithm yielding minimal, material-oriented four-band models. This framework places odd- and even-parity unconventional magnets on equal footing within a unified momentum-space symmetry description.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Emergence and Detection of Surface altermagnetism in KV$_2$Se$_2$O

We demonstrate the recent concept of emergent surface altermagnetism through its unique signatures in \KVSO. We show that for bulk antiferromagnetically ordered \KVSO, the (001) surface exhibits $d$-wave altermagnetism. Our results fully explain the recent seemingly contradicgting experimental evidence, independently showing both an antiferromagnetically ordered bulk from neutron diffraction, and $d$-wave spin splitting from photoemission spectroscopy. To fully verify this conecept, we predict, as a key experimental signature, a large nonlinear Edelstein response, which is localized at the surface, and follows the $d$-wave altermagnetic symmetry. These results are not only relevant for the metallic and room-temperature magnet \KVSO, but also for several other Lieb lattice systems. Our work expands the pool of techniques that can be used to detect altermagnetism emerging at the surfaces of antiferromagnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

GHz non-reciprocal optical conductivity in hematite ($\alpha$-$\text{Fe}_2\text{O}_3$)

We study the non-reciprocal properties of the iron oxide $\alpha$-Fe$_2$O$_3$ (hematite) in the canted easy-plane antiferromagnetic phase, specifically in the GHz to THz frequency range. First, using the the microscopic spin Hamiltonian, we obtain the correct classical ground state where the canting is induced by the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI). The magnon spectrum is simulated using linear spin wave theory. We then compute the polarizability and the sub-gap optical conductivities using linear response. We find that the conductivity tensor contains frequency peaks at the zero momentum magnon gaps of order $0.1~$meV which can be tuned by the DMI and on-site anisotropic spin interactions. Furthermore, we show that the canting-induced net magnetic moment $\mathbf{m}$ represents a measure for the effective time-reversal-symmetry breaking and non-reciprocity of the system: a finite $\mathbf{m}$ results in a non-zero Hall conductivity. Finally, we discuss the prospective application of hematite in non-reciprocal circulator design, by computing the non-reciprocal circulator transmission amplitude using the conductivities as input.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Angular momentum splitter effect of $d$-wave axial phonons in orbital altermagnets

We theoretically demonstrate that axial phonons, lattice vibration quanta carrying finite angular momentum, can host a $d$-wave angular momentum texture in orbital altermagnets in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. We consider a minimal electronic tight-binding model with $d$-wave loop-current order that breaks time-reversal symmetry. Within the Born-Oppenheimer approximation, we incorporate electron-phonon coupling via the molecular Berry curvature and show that the underlying $d$-wave orbital magnetic moment texture of the electronic state is transferred to the phonons without requiring the relativistic spin-orbit coupling. Our results expand the range of platforms available for engineering axial phonons and point to functionality unique to $d$-wave textures, including angular-momentum Seebeck and splitter effects, corresponding to longitudinal and transverse angular-momentum currents driven by a temperature gradient.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Rolling Two-Dimensional Collinear Magnets into Chiral Nanotubes with $p$-Wave Magnetism

$p$-wave magnets are noncollinear compensated magnetic systems that exhibit nonrelativistic antisymmetric spin splitting in momentum space. Their odd-parity spin symmetry enables unconventional spintronic functionalities, including highly efficient charge-to-spin conversion via the Edelstein effect. An outstanding question is whether such magnetic phases can emerge from simple and broadly accessible magnetic building blocks rather than from intrinsically noncollinear magnetic orders. Here, we show that rolling two-dimensional collinear magnets -- ferromagnets, antiferromagnets, and altermagnets -- into nanotubes generates a rich spin-symmetry landscape controlled by curvature, chirality, and magnetic order. Remarkably, chiral nanotubes hosting radial or tangential coplanar spin textures generically realize $p$-wave magnetism irrespective of the underlying collinear parent phase. The emergent odd-parity spin symmetry manifests itself in both electronic and magnonic spectra through antisymmetric $p$-wave spin splitting. Our results establish magnetic nanotubes as a versatile platform for engineering unconventional $p$-wave magnetism and predict a nonrelativistic Edelstein response that exceeds conventional spin-orbit-driven charge-to-spin conversion by more than an order of magnitude.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Nonlinear Magnon Magnetic Moment Transport in Triangular-Lattice f-Wave Antialtermagnets

We study the spin excitations in the frustrated coplanar 120-degree ground state of the triangular-lattice Heisenberg antiferromagnet and demonstrate that they carry a magnetic moment perpendicular to the plane in which the spins order, despite the ground-state sublattice moments having no out-of-plane component. The symmetry of the momentum dependence of the magnetic moment and energy of the magnons renders the system an odd-parity f-wave magnet. Extending this model to a stack of antiferromagnetically coupled triangular layers provides a realization of magnons in a three-dimensional f-wave antialtermagnet. We show that nonlinear thermal transport effects of magnons, such as Edelstein and spin-splitter effects, provide clear experimental signatures of magnons in f-wave antialtermagnets.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Thermal Hall conductivity from semiclassical spin dynamics simulations: implementation and applications to chiral ferromagnets and Kitaev magnets

We investigate thermal Hall transport in magnetic systems, using semiclassical spin dynamics simulations. Building on a linear response framework, we discuss the intricacies of computing the thermal Hall conductivity from real-time energy current correlations and the energy magnetization. We then apply this methodology to two models: a square-lattice chiral magnet with in-plane Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, and the antiferromagnetic Kitaev model in a field. Our results demonstrate the efficiency of semiclassical spin dynamics to study thermal Hall transport capturing quantitative effects beyond the simple intrinsic non-interacting approximation. They can serve as a benchmark for comparison with experiments in regimes where non-linearities from magnon-magnon interactions and strong thermal fluctuations play a crucial role.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2026

Spin Inertia as a Source of Topological Magnons: Chiral Edge States from Coupled Precession and Nutation

Spin inertia has been demonstrated to give rise to high-frequency nutational excitations beyond the conventional low-frequency precessional modes. Here, we demonstrate that the hybridization between precessional and nutational magnons may give rise to topological phenomena in the spin-wave spectrum. This hybridization requires the presence of interactions breaking angular-momentum conservation, such as the pseudodipolar interaction. We show on the example of a honeycomb ferromagnet how topological gaps open between the precessional and nutational bands that host chiral edge states in slab geometries. Our work establishes a theoretical foundation for exploring inertial spin dynamics as a new route to engineer topological phases in magnetic materials.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2026

Odd-Parity-Wave Magnons and Nonrelativistic Thermal Edelstein Effect

Odd-parity-wave magnets are noncollinear compensated magnets with spin-split band structure in the absence of spin-orbit coupling and dipolar interactions. In contrast to altermagnets, their spin-polarized band structure breaks inversion symmetry, but preserves time-reversal symmetry rendering their spin texture odd in momentum space. Here, we study the spin dynamics of the magnetic texture and compute the band structure and spin polarization of magnons. We present minimal spin models of noncoplanar odd-parity-wave magnets purely stabilized by exchange interactions that host p- and f-wave spin textures for the magnetic excitations. We demonstrate that two of these models exhibit collinear spin textures, i.e., the magnon spin polarization is restricted to a global (quantization) axis independent of the momentum giving rise to single-component odd-parity-wave magnetism, previously associated primarily with coplanar ground states. Finally, the nonrelativistic magnonic thermal Edelstein effect -- a nonequilibrium magnetization induced by a temperature gradient -- is shown to exist for p-wave magnets in linear response and inherits its anisotropic angular dependence from the partial-wave character of the spin-polarized band structure. Our findings suggest that insulating odd-parity-wave magnets are promising candidates for magnon spintronics applications.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2026

Emergent altermagnetism at surfaces of antiferromagnets: full symmetry classification and material identification

We demonstrate the emergence of altermagnetism at the surfaces of antiferromagnets, vastly expanding the number of material candidates with altermagnetic characteristics and establishing a route towards two-dimensional altermagnetism through surface-induced symmetry breaking. We do so by developing a surface spin group formalism that fully classifies all surface magnetic states and identifies altermagnetic surface spin groups that can arise at the surfaces of antiferromagnets. We use this formalism to identify over 150 antiferromagnetic entries from the MAGNDATA database with at least one altermagnetic surface, often times with multiple such surfaces in the same material, and clarify the role of surface roughness and terraces. We illustrate this emergent phenomenon in a realistic Lieb lattice-based minimal model and present ab initio calculations on two representative material candidates, $\text{NaMnP}$ and $\text{FeGe}_2$, exhibiting $d$-wave and $g$-wave surface altermagnetism, respectively. Our theory naturally resolves the contradiction of recent experimental reports of $d$-wave spin splitting from ARPES measurements on metallic Lieb lattice compounds such as KV$_2$Se$_2$O that have been shown to be antiferromagnetic in the bulk. Hence, we establish a new paradigm for generating effectively two-dimensional altermagnetism by functionalizing the abundant material class of collinear antiferromagnets as viable platforms for controlled surface altermagnetism.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

D-Wave Phonon Angular Momentum Texture in Altermagnets by Magnon-Phonon Hybridization

In altermagnets, the magnon bands are anisotropically spin-split in reciprocal space without relativistic or dipolar spin-spin interactions. In this work, we theoretically study magnons and phonons coupled by spin-lattice interaction in a two-dimensional square-lattice d-wave altermagnet. We show that phonon-chirality-selective magnon-phonon hybridization can be caused by interfacial Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction leading to the emergence of hybrid quasiparticles that possess finite phonon angular momentum. These hybrid quasiparticles are called magnon polarons and consist of spin-polarized magnons and chiral phonons. Their phonon angular momentum texture follows the d-wave character of the magnon spin texture opening up the possibility of phononic counterparts to the electronic response effects in altermagnets, such as a phonon angular momentum splitter effect, i.e., the generation of a transverse phonon angular momentum current induced by a temperature gradient -- the bosonic analog of the spin-splitter effect.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Topological Magnon-Plasmon Hybrids

We study magnon-plasmon coupling in effectively two-dimensional stacks of van der Waals layers in the context of the band structure topology. Invoking the quasiparticle approximation, we show that the magnetic dipole coupling between the plasmons in a metallic layer and the magnons in a neighboring magnetic layer gives rise to a Berry curvature. As a result, the hybrid quasiparticles acquire an anomalous velocity, leading to intrinsic anomalous thermal Hall and spin-Nernst effects in ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. We propose magnetic layers supporting skyrmion crystals as a platform to realize chiral magnon-plasmon edge states, inviting the notion of topological magnon-plasmonics.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2025

Fate of Topological Dirac Magnons in van der Waals Ferromagnets at Finite Temperature

Dirac magnons, the bosonic counterparts of Dirac fermions in graphene, provide a unique platform to explore symmetry-protected band crossings and quantum geometry in magnetic insulators, while promising high-velocity, low-dissipation spin transport for next-generation magnonic technologies. However, their stability under realistic, finite-temperature conditions remains an open question. Here, we develop a comprehensive microscopic theory of thermal magnon-magnon interactions in van der Waals honeycomb ferromagnets, focusing on both gapless and gapped Dirac magnons. Using nonlinear spin-wave theory with magnon self-energy corrections and a T-matrix resummation that captures two-magnon bound states, we quantitatively reproduce temperature- and momentum-dependent energy shifts and linewidths observed experimentally in the gapless Dirac magnon material CrBr$_3$, even near the Curie temperature. Our approach resolves discrepancies between prior theoretical predictions and experiment and highlight the significant role of bound states in enhancing magnon damping at low temperatures. For gapped Dirac magnon materials such as CrI$_3$, CrSiTe$_3$, and CrGeTe$_3$, we find a thermally induced reduction of the topological magnon gap but no evidence of thermally driven topological transitions. Classical atomistic spin dynamics simulations corroborate the gap' s robustness up to the Curie temperature. Furthermore, we establish a practical criterion for observing topological gaps by determining the minimum ratio of Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction to Heisenberg exchange required to overcome thermal broadening throughout the ordered phase, typically around 5%. Our results clarify the interplay of thermal many-body effects and topology in low-dimensional magnets and provide a reliable framework for interpreting spectroscopic experiments.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Spin demons in d-wave altermagnets

Demons are a type of plasmons, which consist of out-of-phase oscillations of electrons in different bands. Here, we show that $d$-wave altermagnets, a recently discovered class of collinear magnetism, naturally realize a spin demon, which consists of out-of-phase movement of the two spin species. The spin demon lives outside of the particle-hole continuum of one of the spin species, and is therefore significantly underdamped, reaching quality factors of $>10$. We show that the spin demon carries a magnetic moment, which inherits the $d$-wave symmetry. Finally, we consider both three and two dimensional $d$-wave altermagnets, and show that spin demons exists in both.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Large Thermal Hall Effect in MnPS$_3$

Recent studies have demonstrated that the thermal Hall effect can originate from magnons (magnon Hall effect), phonons (phonon Hall effect), or their combination (magnon-polaron Hall effect). The magnon-polaron Hall effect, first observed in Fe2Mo3O8, is particularly intriguing as its thermal Hall signal can be remarkably large. In this study, we explore the thermal Hall effect in MnPS3, an insulating antiferromagnetic material exhibiting a spin-flop transition and significant magnetoelastic coupling, making it a strong candidate for studying the thermal Hall effect originating from spin-lattice coupling. We report an exceptionally large thermal Hall angle down to 4 K and show that it cannot be accounted for by standard calculations based on the intrinsic magnon-polaron Berry curvature. Our findings provide an in-depth analysis of the role of the spin-flop transition in the thermal properties of MnPS3 and call for further theory development on magnon-phonon coupling and scattering to reveal their influence on transverse heat transport.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci↗

arXiv2025

Altermagnetic splitting of magnons in hematite ($\alpha$-Fe$_2$O$_3$)

We develop a four-sublattice spin-wave theory for the $g$-wave altermagnet candidate hematite ($\alpha$-Fe$_2$O$_3$), considering both its easy-axis phase below and its weak ferromagnetic phase above the Morin temperature. A key question is whether the defining altermagnetic feature - magnon spin splitting (also called chirality or polarization splitting) due to nonrelativistic time-reversal symmetry breaking - remains intact when relativistic corrections, which contribute to hematite's magnetic order, are included. Using a detailed symmetry analysis supported by density functional theory, we show that capturing the magnon splitting within a Heisenberg model requires exchange interactions extending at least to the 13th neighbor. We find an altermagnetic band splitting of approximately 2 meV, which contrasts with the total band width of about 100 meV. To evaluate the experimental observability of this splitting, we analyze relativistic corrections to the magnon spectrum in both magnetic phases. We show that spin-orbit coupling - manifesting as magnetocrystalline anisotropies and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) - does not obscure the key altermagnetic features. These findings indicate that inelastic neutron scattering can directly probe altermagnetic magnon splitting in hematite. We also discuss implications for magnon transport, particularly magnonic contributions to the thermal Hall effect (which requires spin-orbit coupling) and to spin splitter effects (which do not). Notably, we predict a third-order nonlinear magnon spin splitter effect. This result suggests that the $g$-wave magnon spin splitting in hematite enables transverse heat-to-spin conversion without requiring an external magnetic field.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

$\mathbb{Z}_2$ Vortex Crystals in Tetrahedral Antiferromagnets: Fractional Charges and Topological Magnons

We report the formation of a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ vortex crystal in the tetrahedral antiferromagnetic order on a triangular lattice. The noncoplanar tetrahedral state consists of four sublattices with spins oriented along the faces of a tetrahedron in spin space. The long-range order characterized by a $\mathbb{Z}_2$ topology arises due to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction and appears at zero temperature and without external fields. Each vortex carries a half-integer electric charge relative to the uniform background in itinerant magnets, enabling the emergence of anyonic excitations. Its magnetic excitations include magnetically active gyrotropic and breathing modes, which -- under an external magnetic field -- carry nontrivial Chern numbers that stabilize chiral magnon edge states.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2025

Spontaneous magnon decays from nonrelativistic time-reversal symmetry breaking in altermagnets

Quasiparticles are central to condensed matter physics, but their stability can be undermined by quantum many-body interactions. Magnons, quasiparticles in quantum magnets, are particularly intriguing because their properties are governed by both real and spin space. While crystal symmetries may be low, spin interactions often remain approximately isotropic, limiting spontaneous magnon decay. Textbook wisdom holds that collinear Heisenberg magnets follow a dichotomy: ferromagnets host stable magnons, while antiferromagnetic magnons may decay depending on dispersion curvature. Up to now, relativistic spin-orbit coupling and noncollinear order that connect spin space to real space, were shown to introduce more complex magnon instability mechanisms. Here, we show that even in nonrelativistic isotropic collinear systems, this conventional dichotomy is disrupted in altermagnets. Altermagnets, a newly identified class of collinear magnets, exhibit compensated spin order with nonrelativistic time-reversal symmetry breaking and even-parity band splitting. Using kinematic analysis, nonlinear spin-wave theory, and quantum simulations, we reveal that even weak band splitting opens a decay phase space, driving quasiparticle breakdown. Additionally, d-wave altermagnets form a rare ``island of stability'' at the Brillouin zone center. Our findings establish a quasiparticle stability trichotomy in collinear Heisenberg magnets and position altermagnets as a promising platform for unconventional spin dynamics.

cond-mat.str-el↗