The Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation provides the fundamental description of dissipative magnetization dynamics. A recently proposed quantum analog, the quantum Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (QLLG) equation, extends this framework to quantum spin systems. However, whether the QLLG equation recovers the LLG equation in the classical large-spin limit for interacting spin systems remains an open question. Here, we demonstrate this connection by deriving the LLG equation as the classical large-spin limit of the QLLG equation. We establish this correspondence analytically and verify it numerically for an interacting spin system. These results provide a quantum-to-classical description of dissipative spin dynamics, offering a microscopic foundation for the LLG equation. From numerical calculations provided here, we also conclude that quantum effects become much less noticeable for systems with larger number of spins in the Hamiltonian.
The Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) equation provides the fundamental description of dissipative magnetization dynamics. A recently proposed quantum analog, the quantum Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (QLLG) equation, extends this framework to quantum spin systems. However, whether the QLLG equation recovers the LLG equation in the classical large-spin limit for interacting spin systems remains an open question. Here, we demonstrate this connection by deriving the LLG equation as the classical large-spin limit of the QLLG equation. We establish this correspondence analytically and verify it numerically for an interacting spin system. These results provide a quantum-to-classical description of dissipative spin dynamics, offering a microscopic foundation for the LLG equation. From numerical calculations provided here, we also conclude that quantum effects become much less noticeable for systems with larger number of spins in the Hamiltonian.
The Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert (LLG) and Landau-Lifshitz (LL) equations play an essential role for describing the dynamics of magnetization in solids. While a quantum analog of the LL dynamics has been proposed in [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 147201 (2013)PRLTAO0031-900710.1103/PhysRevLett.110.147201], the corresponding quantum version of LLG remains unknown. Here, we propose such a quantum LLG equation that inherently conserves purity of the quantum state. We examine the quantum LLG dynamics of a dimer consisting of two interacting spin-1/2 particles. Our analysis reveals that, in the case of ferromagnetic coupling, the evolution of initially uncorrelated spins mirrors the classical LLG dynamics. However, in the antiferromagnetic scenario, we observe pronounced deviations from classical behavior, underscoring the unique dynamics of becoming a spinless state, which is nonlocally correlated. Moreover, when considering spins that are initially entangled, our study uncovers an unusual form of revival-type quantum correlation dynamics, which differs significantly from what is typically seen in open quantum systems.
The classical Landau–Lifshitz–Gilbert (LLG) equation has long served as a cornerstone for modeling magnetization dynamics in magnetic systems, yet its classical nature limits its applicability to inherently quantum phenomena such as entanglement and nonlocal correlations. Inspired by the need to incorporate quantum effects into spin dynamics, recently a quantum generalization of the LLG equation is proposed [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 266704 (2024)] which captures essential quantum behavior in many-body systems. In this work, we develop a robust numerical methodology tailored to this quantum LLG framework that not only handles the complexity of quantum many-body systems but also preserves the intrinsic mathematical structures and physical properties dictated by the equation. We apply the proposed method to a class of quantum systems with a moderate number of spins that host host topological states of matter, and demonstrate rich quantum behavior, including the emergence of long-time entangled states. This approach opens a pathway toward reliable simulations of quantum magnetism beyond classical approximations, potentially leading to new discoveries.
We examine the relation between the quantum Landau-Lifshitz equation (q-LL) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 147201 (2013)] and quantum Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation (q-LLG) [Phys. Rev. Lett. 133, 266704 (2024)]; two non-linear purity preserving master equations that extend classical atomistic spin dynamics into the quantum regime. While the classical LL and LLG counterparts for any number of spins are known to be equivalent, i.e., give identical spin trajectories up to a rescaling of the time parameter, the quantum formulations are equivalent only in certain cases, such as for pure states or for arbitrary single spin-21 states. Here, we demonstrate that this equivalence breaks down even at the level of a single spin, provided s≥1. Focusing on a spin-1 particle in an anisotropic crystal field, we show that the q-LL and q-LLG equations generate inequivalent time evolution. We introduce temporal rescaling misfits that quantify the inequivalence of the two types of dynamics. Although our results highlight fundamental differences in dissipation mechanisms encoded in these equations, the resulting trajectories remain qualitatively similar for this system.
Understanding the microscopic origin of magnetic damping is essential for describing magnetization dynamics in nanoscale magnetic systems. In this work, we develop a microscopic framework to derive Gilbert damping terms from specific interactions in ferromagnetic conductors and magnetic insulators. In ferromagnetic conductors, magnetic damping is dominated by the s d exchange interaction between the localized magnetic moments and the itinerant electrons, which is effectively equivalent to an electronmagnon interaction. From the spin diffusion equation and the spin transfer torque therein, we obtain the corresponding quantum LLG equation. In magnetic insulators, where free electrons are absent, spin phonon interactions become the primary source of the damping.Starting from an effective spin phonon interaction and using linear response theory, we derive a quantum LLG equation with a Gilbert damping tensor analytically. Our results demonstrate that different microscopic interactions lead to qualitatively different structures of magnetic damping. Instead of being described by a universal scalar parameter, Gilbert damping can exhibit spatial dependence and tensorial characteristics determined by the underlying microscopic interactions.
We introduce a distinct route for extending classical atomistic spin dynamics into the quantum regime for arbitrary spin s, based on a variational product-state \textit{ansatz} that includes both pure and mixed local states. By construction, intersite entanglement -- expected to remain negligible even on very short time scales in many real materials -- is excluded, while local quantum effects are retained through the nonclassical structure of s≥1 density operators. Nonlinear dynamics arise from both the mean-field interdependence of the local states and the state-dependent dissipative terms. The framework recovers classical spin dynamics for s=21 while allowing genuinely quantum local dynamics for higher spins. It clarifies the variational and geometric origin of the inequivalence between quantum Landau-Lifshitz and Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert dynamics, provides a criterion for their equivalence under a common time rescaling, establishes connections with the classical theory through two qualitatively distinct limits (s→∞ and a large number of quantum spins N), and allows realistic O(N) simulations of quantum spin dynamics in materials.
The classical Landau-Lifshitz equation has been derived from quantum mechanics. Starting point is the assumption of a non-Hermitian Hamilton operator to take the energy dissipation into account. The corresponding quantum mechanical time dependent Schrödinger, Liouville and Heisenberg equation have been described and the similarities and differences between classical and quantum mechanical spin dynamics have been discussed. Furthermore, a time dependent Schrödinger equation corresponding to the classical Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation and two ways to include temperature into the quantum mechanical spin dynamics have been proposed.