Strong Magnon-Phonon Coupling in the Kagome Antiferromagnets
Magnon-phonon hybridization in ordered materials is a crucial phenomenon with significant implications for spintronics, magnonics, and quantum materials research. We present direct experimental evidence and theoretical insights into magnon-phonon coupling in Mn_{3}Ge, a kagome antiferromagnet with noncollinear spin order. Using inelastic x-ray scattering and ab initio modeling, we uncover strong hybridization between planar spin fluctuations and transverse optical phonons, resulting in a large hybridization gap of ∼2 meV. This coupling is driven by interlayer Heisenberg exchange interactions and is enhanced by the material's symmetry and magnetic frustration. The simplicity of the Mn_{3}Ge structure enables clear identification of the hybridized modes, bridging theoretical predictions and experimental observations. Our findings establish Mn_{3}Ge as a model system for exploring magnon-phonon interactions and offer a pathway for designing materials with tunable magnetoelastic properties.
Authors
- Oleg I. Utesov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0910-5274)
- Marein C. Rahn (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7403-8288)
- С. Е. Никитин (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8495-1038)
- N. D. Andriushin (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5400-8719)
- Anton A. Kulbakov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9676-8310)
- A. S. Sukhanov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6437-471X)
- A. N. Korshunov (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5929-6473)
- Kaustuv Manna (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9442-2321)
- Claudia Felser (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8200-2063)
- M. S. Pavlovskiĭ
Institutions
- University of Augsburg (DE)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- Institute for Basic Science (KR)
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids (DE)
- Institute of Physics (RU)
- Institute of Physics of the Slovak Academy of Sciences (SK)
- Donostia International Physics Center (ES)
- Indian Institute of Technology Delhi (IN)
- Technische Universität Dresden (DE)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Letters
- Published
- 2025-08-21
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/gymx-jk1g
- Citations
- 2
- Primary Topic
- Advanced Condensed Matter Physics
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 2.52
Funders
- Department of Atomic Energy, Government of India
- Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
- Eusko Jaurlaritza
- Max-Planck-Gesellschaft
- Institute for Basic Science