English

Tunable thermal conductivity through dual spin-phonon coupling in van der Waals ferromagnetic insulator Cr2Ge2Te6

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2026-04-29 v1

Abstract

The active manipulation of phonon transport remains a central challenge in phononics and spin caloritronics due to the charge-neutral nature of heat carriers. Spin-phonon coupling (SPC) offers a promising route for the dynamic control of heat carriers, yet its progress has been limited due to the lack of a unified framework and suitable material platforms. Here, we report on the magnetic field-tunable phonon transport behavior in the ferromagnetic insulator Cr2Ge2Te6. We observed two distinct anomalous regimes at both the high and low fields that were governed by isotropic magnon-phonon hybridization and an anisotropic magnon softening process, respectively. By integrating detailed transport behavior with Brillouin light scattering and ferromagnetic resonance, we uncovered the microscopic origins of these anomalous regimes and demonstrated that both the field magnitude and orientation could act as versatile tuning knobs to manipulate the thermal conductivity. Our findings provide experimental evidence of the SPC effect on phonon transport, demonstrating the dual impact of SPC within a unified system. This work will not only broaden the fundamental understanding of quasiparticle interactions but also establish a viable framework for dynamic phonon engineering. Furthermore, the characteristics of this system highlight the potential for achieving field-tunable phonon transport in similar platforms such as two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.2604.25115,
  title  = {Tunable thermal conductivity through dual spin-phonon coupling in van der Waals ferromagnetic insulator Cr2Ge2Te6},
  author = {Zhongbin Wang and Wenlong Tang and Simin Pang and Hongxing Zhu and Renkang Fan and Baohai Jia and Junxue Li and Ben Xu and Jun Zhang and Lin Xie and Jiaqing He},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:2604.25115},
  year   = {2026}
}