Quantum coherence induced by magnons

Abstract

We analyze quantum coherence generated by non-interacting magnons in a ferromagnetic spin chain described by the isotropic Heisenberg model. The exact expression derived for the reduced density operator of an arbitrary subsystem reveals that single-site coherence vanishes, while maximal coherence arises in a pure single-mode magnon state. Remarkably, this maximum depends solely on the number of coherently superposed microstates. Based on this property, we introduce coherence-based definitions of entropy, temperature, and heat capacity, establishing a formal analogy with standard thermodynamic quantities.