Quantum Bocce: Magnon-magnon collisions between propagating and bound states in 1D spin chains

The dynamics of two magnons in a Heisenberg spin chain under the influence of a non-uniform magnetic field is investigated by means of a numerical wave-function-based approach using a Holstein-Primakoff transformation. The magnetic field is localized in space such that it supports exactly one single-particle bound state. We study the interaction of this bound mode with an incoming spin wave and the interplay between transmittance, energy and momentum matching. We find analytic criteria for maximizing the interconversion between propagating single-magnon modes and true propagating two-magnon states. The manipulation of bound and propagating magnons is an essential step towards quantum magnonics.