Relativistic ferromagnetic magnon at the zigzag edge of graphene

TL;DR

This paper investigates the unique relativistic ferromagnetic magnon excitations at the zigzag edge of graphene, revealing a single boundary magnon mode with hybrid properties distinct from bulk magnons.

Contribution

It introduces the discovery of a single relativistic ferromagnetic magnon mode at the graphene zigzag edge, highlighting its boundary-specific nature and hybrid characteristics.

Findings

Single branch of relativistic ferromagnetic magnon identified

Magnon mode is a boundary excitation with hybrid properties

Distinct from bulk antiferromagnetic magnons

Abstract

We study the spin-wave excitations near the zigzag edge of graphene. It is rather interesting that we obtain a single branch of relativistic ferromagnetic magnon due to the presence of the open boundary. Note that magnons in antiferomagnets appear in pairs, while the single brach magnon in ferromagnets does not have relativistic dispersion. Thus, the magnon near the zigzag edge of graphene is a hybrid of both, signaling its intrinsic property as a boundary excitation that must be embedded in a higher dimensional bulk system.