Theory of electric polarization induced by magnon transport in two-dimensional honeycomb antiferromagnets

D. Quang To, Federico Garcia-Gaitan, Yafei Ren, Joshua M. O. Zide, John Q. Xiao, Branislav K. Nikolić, Garnett W. Bryant, Matthew F. Doty

Published 2024-07-22Version 1

We introduce a quantum mechanical formalism for computing the electric polarization arising in two-dimensional (2D) antiferromagnets (AFMs) as a result of {\bf both} spin and orbital transport effect of magnons. We first show that an applied temperature gradient in a 2D collinear honeycomb AFM gives rise to accumulations of magnons having both orbital moment and spin moment at the edges of the 2D AFM as the manifestation of the magnon Nernst effects. We then use our formalism to show that such magnon Nernst effects, in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction (DMI), induce electric polarization that can be measured experimentally. Finally, we demonstrate the value of this formalism by using it to predict the properties of two 2D honeycomb AFMs, one each with N\'eel and zigzag order. These results integrate advances in magnonics, spinorbitronics, and orbitronics to create a unified framework that can be used to understand and control the manipulation of magnetic states in 2D AFMs through the magnon spin and orbital degrees of freedom.