Atomistic spin dynamics (ASD) is a standard tool to model the magnetization dynamics of a
variety of materials. The fundamental dynamical model underlying ASD is entirely classical. In
this paper, we present two approaches to effectively incorporate quantum effects into ASD simulations, thus enhancing their low temperature predictions. ...
Atomistic spin dynamics (ASD) is a standard tool to model the magnetization dynamics of a
variety of materials. The fundamental dynamical model underlying ASD is entirely classical. In
this paper, we present two approaches to effectively incorporate quantum effects into ASD simulations, thus enhancing their low temperature predictions. The first allows to simulate the magnetic
behavior of a quantum spin system by solving the equations of motion of a classical spin system at
an effective temperature relative to the critical temperature. This effective temperature is determined a priori from the microscopic properties of the system. The second approach is based on a
semi-classical model where classical spins interact with an environment with a quantum–like power
spectrum. The parameters that characterize this model can be calculated ab initio or extracted
from experiments. This semi-classical model quantitatively reproduces the absolute temperature
behavior of a magnetic system, thus accounting for the quantum mechanical aspects of its dynamics, even at low temperature. The methods presented here can be readily implemented in current
ASD simulations with no additional complexity cost.