Quantum breakthrough links light and magnetism in atomically thin materials
6 reported
Researchers at the City College of New York have published a review in Nature Materials examining progress in atomically thin quantum materials where light and magnetism interact directly. The review, titled "Excitons in van der Waals magnetic materials," focuses on layered magnetic semiconductors that allow light-generated excitons to interact with magnetic order and magnetic waves called magnons. Physicist Vinod M. Menon's Laboratory for Nano and Micro Photonics led the work, with postdoctoral researcher Pratap Chandra Adak as lead author. The researchers state that in these materials, excitons can sense spin order and magnons, and under certain conditions may help control the magnetic state. Potential applications identified include magneto-photonic memory, all-optical logic, and quantum transducers for converting signals between microwave and optical frequencies. The review notes that many possible materials remain unstudied and that better theoretical models are needed to predict interactions between excitons, spins, lattice vibrations, and photons. The work was supported by DARPA and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation.
What’s reported
The review was published in Nature Materials on July 16, 2026.
It examines van der Waals magnetic semiconductors, including chromium triiodide, nickel phosphorus trisulfide, and chromium sulfur bromide.
Excitons form when light energizes an electron, leaving a positively charged hole; magnons are collective waves in a material's magnetic structure.
Excitons can strengthen magneto-optical effects, allowing identification of magnetic states through changes in light polarization.
The researchers discuss exciton polaritons, hybrid particles combining light and matter properties.
Co-authors include Florian Dirnberger (Technical University of Munich), Swagata Acharya (National Laboratory of the Rockies), Akashdeep Kamra (Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau), and Xiaodong Xu (University of Washington).
Key figures
Vinod M. Menon, professor of physics and senior author of the Review, City College of New York
Pratap Chandra Adak, postdoctoral researcher and lead author, City College of New York
Florian Dirnberger, Technical University of Munich
Swagata Acharya, National Laboratory of the Rockies
Akashdeep Kamra, Rheinland-Pfälzische Technische Universität Kaiserslautern-Landau
Xiaodong Xu, University of Washington
Sources: ScienceDaily
