Magnetically propagating Hund’s exciton in van der Waals antiferromagnet NiPS₃

Magnetic van der Waals materials have opened new frontiers for realizing novel many-body phenomena. Recently NiPS₃ has received intense interest since it hosts an excitonic quasiparticle whose properties appear to be intimately linked to the magnetic state of the lattice. Despite extensive studies, the electronic character, mobility, and magnetic interactions of the exciton remain unresolved. Here we address these issues by measuring NiPS₃ with ultra-high energy resolution resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. We find that Hund's exchange interactions are primarily responsible for the energy of formation of the exciton. Measuring the dispersion of the Hund's exciton reveals that it propagates in a way that is analogous to a double magnon. We trace this unique behavior to fundamental similarities between the NiPS₃ exciton hopping and spin exchange processes, underlining the unique magnetic characteristics of this novel quasiparticle.