Theory of the Magnon Parametron

Abstract

The 'magnon parametron' is a ferromagnetic particle that is parametrically excited by microwaves in a cavity. Above a certain threshold of the microwave power, a bistable steady state emerges that forms an effective Ising spin. We calculate the dynamics of the magnon parametron as a function of microwave power, applied magnetic field and temperature for the interacting magnon system, taking into account thermal and quantum fluctuations. We predict three dynamical phases, viz. a stable Ising spin, telegraph noise of thermally activated switching, and an intermediate regime that at lower temperatures is quantum correlated with significant distillible magnon entanglement. These three regimes of operation are attractive for alternative computing schemes.