Antiferromagnetic Resonance Revisited: Dissipative Coupling without Dissipation

Abstract

The antiferromagnet is a closed Hermitian system, we find that its excitations, even in the absence of dissipation, can be viewed as a non-Hermitian system with dissipative coupling. Consequently, the antiferromagnetic resonance spectrum does not show the typical level repulsion, but shows the level attraction -- a characteristic behavior often observed in non-Hermitian systems. Such behavior is because the antiferromagnetic ground state is $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric. This new understanding on antiferromagnetic resonance also explains the mysterious enhancement of antiferromagnetic damping rate. Being effectively non-Hermitian, antiferromagnetic magnons can be used for quantum entanglement generation without introducing a third party like external pumping.