Magnon nesting in driven two-dimensional quantum magnets
Phys. Rev. B 113, 014404 – Published 5 January, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/lxnv-d7ky
Abstract
We present a class of dynamical quantum instability in driven magnets leading to emergent enhancement of antiferromagnetic correlations even for purely ferromagnetic microscopic couplings. A primary parametric amplification creates a frequency-tuned nested magnon distribution in momentum space, which seeds a secondary instability marked by the emergence of enhanced antiferromagnetic correlations, mirroring the instability of nested Fermi surfaces in electronic systems. In sharp contrast to the fermionic case, however, the magnon-driven instability is intrinsically nonequilibrium and fundamentally inaccessible in thermal physics. Its quantum-mechanical origin sets it apart from classical instabilities such as Faraday and modulation instabilities, which underlie several instances of dynamical behavior observed in magnetic and cold-atom systems.
