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Use dimensionless spin operators and nearest-neighbour exchange $J_H>0$ on a regular bipartite graph with N sites and coordination number of a lattice z. Count each bond once and define ${\gamma }_{\mathbf{k}}=z^{-1}{\sum }_{\delta }{e}^{i\mathbf{k}\cdot \delta }$, real for the inversion-symmetric examples considered here.

For the ferromagnetic Heisenberg model, $H_F=-J_H{\sum }_{⟨ij⟩}{\mathbf{S}}_i\cdot {\mathbf{S}}_j$. Expanding the Holstein–Primakoff transformation about all spins along +z givesup to interactions of higher order in boson density, with $E_{\mathrm{cl}}=-Nz{J}_H{S}^2/2$. The isotropic spin-wave vacuum energy comparison starts with this normal ordering. The linear spin-wave approximation then givesEach ferromagnetic magnon lowers total $S^z$ by one. The fully aligned state is an exact eigenstate and ground state; there is no harmonic vacuum depletion or added zero-point energy in this normal-ordered Hamiltonian. The global spin-rotation multiplet remains degenerate. On a hypercubic lattice of spacing a, $z=2d$ and ${\gamma }_{\mathbf{k}}=d^{-1}{\sum }_j\cos k_{j}a$, so $E_F\simeq J_{H}S{a}^2{k}^2$. The exact one-magnon sector agrees with this result even at finite S; interactions enter for multiple magnons.

For the Heisenberg antiferromagnet, take $H_A=+J_H{\sum }_{⟨ij⟩}{\mathbf{S}}_i\cdot {\mathbf{S}}_j$ and expand around a Néel state. On A, $S^z=S-a^{†}a$ and $S^{+}\simeq \sqrt{2S}a$; on B, $S^z=-S+b^{†}b$ and $S^{+}\simeq \sqrt{2S}{b}^{†}$. A bond becomesWith N/2 momenta in the magnetic Brillouin zone,The bosonic Bogoliubov transformation has $u_k^2-v_k^2=1$ and $\tanh 2{\theta }_k={\gamma }_k$. For example $a_k=u_k{\alpha }_k-v_k{\beta }_{-k}^{†}$ and $b_{-k}=u_k{\beta }_{-k}-v_k{\alpha }_k^{†}$. It gives two branches in this reduced zone,The reduced-zone counting of bipartite spin waves gives N oscillators in total, not 2N. The negative vacuum correction and quantum depletion of Néel order, $\delta S=(2/N){\sum }_{\mathrm{MBZ}}{v}_k^2$, distinguish the antiferromagnet from the ferromagnet. At nonzero temperature replace $v_k^2$ by $v_k^2+(u_k^2+v_k^2)n_B(E_k)$. Hypercubic small-momentum modes have $E_A\simeq 2J_{H}Sa\sqrt{d}|k|$, hence linear physical frequency $E_A/\hslash$.

Self-consistency requires depletion much smaller than S and respects the Holstein–Primakoff occupation constraint. In one dimension the antiferromagnetic vacuum depletion diverges logarithmically, invalidating ordered spin-wave theory; it does not alone prove an exact gap or its absence. At positive temperature, isotropic short-range models in d≤2 cannot sustain such magnetic order by the Mermin-Wagner theorem. In three dimensions the quadratic ferromagnetic modes give the low-temperature magnetization reduction proportional to $T^{3/2}$, whereas the antiferromagnetic thermal reduction scales as $T^2$. Anisotropy, fields, frustration and magnon interactions alter these conclusions. ^[ref]