Coherent spin-current oscillations in transverse magnetic fields

Abstract: We address the coherence of the dynamics of spin-currents with components transverse to an external magnetic field for the spin-1/2 Heisenberg chain. We study current autocorrelations at finite temperatures and the real-time dynamics of currents at zero temperature. Besides a coherent Larmor oscillation, we find an additional collective oscillation at higher frequencies, emerging as a coherent many-magnon effect at low temperatures. Using numerical and analytical methods, we analyze the oscillation frequency and decay time of this coherent current-mode versus temperature and magnetic field.