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Hariki A, Dal Din A, Amin OJ, Yamaguchi T, Badura A, Kriegner D, Edmonds KW, Campion RP, Wadley P, Backes D, Veiga LSI, Dhesi SS, Springholz G, Šmejkal L, Výborný K, Jungwirth T, Kuneš J. X-Ray Magnetic Circular Dichroism in Altermagnetic α-MnTe. Phys Rev Lett 2024; 132:176701. [PMID: 38728732 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.132.176701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/08/2023] [Revised: 02/01/2024] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/12/2024]
Abstract
Altermagnetism is a recently identified magnetic symmetry class combining characteristics of conventional collinear ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, that were regarded as mutually exclusive, and enabling phenomena and functionalities unparalleled in either of the two traditional elementary magnetic classes. In this work we use symmetry, ab initio theory, and experiments to explore x-ray magnetic circular dichroism (XMCD) in the altermagnetic class. As a representative material for our XMCD study we choose α-MnTe with compensated antiparallel magnetic order in which an anomalous Hall effect has been already demonstrated. We predict and experimentally confirm a characteristic XMCD line shape for compensated moments lying in a plane perpendicular to the light propagation vector. Our results highlight the distinct phenomenology in altermagnets of this time-reversal symmetry breaking response, and its potential utility for element-specific spectroscopy and microscopy.
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Affiliation(s)
- A Hariki
- Department of Physics and Electronics, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan
| | - A Dal Din
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - O J Amin
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - T Yamaguchi
- Department of Physics and Electronics, Graduate School of Engineering, Osaka Metropolitan University, 1-1 Gakuen-cho, Nakaku, Sakai, Osaka 599-8531, Japan
| | - A Badura
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic
| | - D Kriegner
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic
| | - K W Edmonds
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - R P Campion
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - P Wadley
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - D Backes
- Diamond Light Source, Chilton OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - L S I Veiga
- Diamond Light Source, Chilton OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - S S Dhesi
- Diamond Light Source, Chilton OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
| | - G Springholz
- Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstraße 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - K Výborný
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic
| | - T Jungwirth
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6 Czech Republic
| | - J Kuneš
- Institute for Solid State Physics, TU Wien, 1040 Vienna, Austria
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Science, Masaryk University, Kotlářská 2, 611 37 Brno, Czechia
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2
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Krempaský J, Šmejkal L, D'Souza SW, Hajlaoui M, Springholz G, Uhlířová K, Alarab F, Constantinou PC, Strocov V, Usanov D, Pudelko WR, González-Hernández R, Birk Hellenes A, Jansa Z, Reichlová H, Šobáň Z, Gonzalez Betancourt RD, Wadley P, Sinova J, Kriegner D, Minár J, Dil JH, Jungwirth T. Altermagnetic lifting of Kramers spin degeneracy. Nature 2024; 626:517-522. [PMID: 38356066 PMCID: PMC10866710 DOI: 10.1038/s41586-023-06907-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/28/2023] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
Lifted Kramers spin degeneracy (LKSD) has been among the central topics of condensed-matter physics since the dawn of the band theory of solids1,2. It underpins established practical applications as well as current frontier research, ranging from magnetic-memory technology3-7 to topological quantum matter8-14. Traditionally, LKSD has been considered to originate from two possible internal symmetry-breaking mechanisms. The first refers to time-reversal symmetry breaking by magnetization of ferromagnets and tends to be strong because of the non-relativistic exchange origin15. The second applies to crystals with broken inversion symmetry and tends to be comparatively weaker, as it originates from the relativistic spin-orbit coupling (SOC)16-19. A recent theory work based on spin-symmetry classification has identified an unconventional magnetic phase, dubbed altermagnetic20,21, that allows for LKSD without net magnetization and inversion-symmetry breaking. Here we provide the confirmation using photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculations. We identify two distinct unconventional mechanisms of LKSD generated by the altermagnetic phase of centrosymmetric MnTe with vanishing net magnetization20-23. Our observation of the altermagnetic LKSD can have broad consequences in magnetism. It motivates exploration and exploitation of the unconventional nature of this magnetic phase in an extended family of materials, ranging from insulators and semiconductors to metals and superconductors20,21, that have been either identified recently or perceived for many decades as conventional antiferromagnets21,24,25.
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Affiliation(s)
- J Krempaský
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland.
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - S W D'Souza
- New Technologies Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Plzeň, Czech Republic
| | - M Hajlaoui
- Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - G Springholz
- Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University of Linz, Linz, Austria
| | - K Uhlířová
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - F Alarab
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - P C Constantinou
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - V Strocov
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - D Usanov
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
| | - W R Pudelko
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
- Physik-Institut, Universität Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - R González-Hernández
- Grupo de Investigación en Física Aplicada, Departamento de Física, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla, Colombia
| | - A Birk Hellenes
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
| | - Z Jansa
- New Technologies Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Plzeň, Czech Republic
| | - H Reichlová
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Z Šobáň
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | | | - P Wadley
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom
| | - J Sinova
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - D Kriegner
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - J Minár
- New Technologies Research Center, University of West Bohemia, Plzeň, Czech Republic.
| | - J H Dil
- Photon Science Division, Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland
- Institut de Physique, École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - T Jungwirth
- Institute of Physics, Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic.
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham, United Kingdom.
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Gonzalez Betancourt RD, Zubáč J, Gonzalez-Hernandez R, Geishendorf K, Šobáň Z, Springholz G, Olejník K, Šmejkal L, Sinova J, Jungwirth T, Goennenwein STB, Thomas A, Reichlová H, Železný J, Kriegner D. Spontaneous Anomalous Hall Effect Arising from an Unconventional Compensated Magnetic Phase in a Semiconductor. Phys Rev Lett 2023; 130:036702. [PMID: 36763381 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.130.036702] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 10/10/2022] [Accepted: 12/21/2022] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
The anomalous Hall effect, commonly observed in metallic magnets, has been established to originate from the time-reversal symmetry breaking by an internal macroscopic magnetization in ferromagnets or by a noncollinear magnetic order. Here we observe a spontaneous anomalous Hall signal in the absence of an external magnetic field in an epitaxial film of MnTe, which is a semiconductor with a collinear antiparallel magnetic ordering of Mn moments and a vanishing net magnetization. The anomalous Hall effect arises from an unconventional phase with strong time-reversal symmetry breaking and alternating spin polarization in real-space crystal structure and momentum-space electronic structure. The anisotropic crystal environment of magnetic Mn atoms due to the nonmagnetic Te atoms is essential for establishing the unconventional phase and generating the anomalous Hall effect.
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Affiliation(s)
- R D Gonzalez Betancourt
- Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Leibniz Institute of Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden), Helmholtzstr. 20, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - J Zubáč
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Charles University, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Ke Karlovu 3, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - R Gonzalez-Hernandez
- Departamento de Fisica y Geociencias, Universidad del Norte, Barranquilla 080020, Colombia
| | - K Geishendorf
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - Z Šobáň
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - G Springholz
- Institute of Semiconductor and Solid State Physics, Johannes Kepler University Linz, Altenbergerstr. 69, 4040 Linz, Austria
| | - K Olejník
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - J Sinova
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, 55128 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Jungwirth
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
| | - S T B Goennenwein
- Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Department of Physics, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
| | - A Thomas
- Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Leibniz Institute of Solid State and Materials Research (IFW Dresden), Helmholtzstr. 20, 01069 Dresden, Germany
| | - H Reichlová
- Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
| | - J Železný
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - D Kriegner
- Institute of Solid State and Materials Physics, Technical University Dresden, 01062 Dresden, Germany
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
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Fedchenko O, Šmejkal L, Kallmayer M, Lytvynenko Y, Medjanik K, Babenkov S, Vasilyev D, Kläui M, Demsar J, Schönhense G, Jourdan M, Sinova J, Elmers HJ. Direct observation of antiferromagnetic parity violation in the electronic structure of Mn 2Au. J Phys Condens Matter 2022; 34:425501. [PMID: 35940170 DOI: 10.1088/1361-648x/ac87e6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/08/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Using momentum microscopy with sub-µm spatial resolution, allowing momentum resolved photoemission on individual antiferromagnetic domains, we observe an asymmetry in the electronic band structure,E(k)≠E(-k), in Mn2Au. This broken band structure parity originates from the combined time and parity symmetry,PT, of the antiferromagnetic order of the Mn moments, in connection with spin-orbit coupling. The spin-orbit interaction couples the broken parity to the Néel order parameter direction. We demonstrate a novel tool to image the Néel vector direction,N, by combining spatially resolved momentum microscopy withab-initiocalculations that correlate the broken parity with the vectorN.
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Affiliation(s)
- O Fedchenko
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - M Kallmayer
- Surface Concept GmbH, Am Sägewerk 23A, D-55124 Mainz, Germany
| | - Ya Lytvynenko
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Magnetism of the National Academy of Science and MES of Ukraine, Vernadsky Blvd, 36b, 03142 Kyiv, Ukraine
| | - K Medjanik
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S Babenkov
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - D Vasilyev
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Kläui
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - J Demsar
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - G Schönhense
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Jourdan
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - J Sinova
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - H J Elmers
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität Mainz, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
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Elmers HJ, Chernov SV, D'Souza SW, Bommanaboyena SP, Bodnar SY, Medjanik K, Babenkov S, Fedchenko O, Vasilyev D, Agustsson SY, Schlueter C, Gloskovskii A, Matveyev Y, Strocov VN, Skourski Y, Šmejkal L, Sinova J, Minár J, Kläui M, Schönhense G, Jourdan M. Néel Vector Induced Manipulation of Valence States in the Collinear Antiferromagnet Mn 2Au. ACS Nano 2020; 14:17554-17564. [PMID: 33236903 DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.0c08215] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
The coupling of real and momentum space is utilized to tailor electronic properties of the collinear metallic antiferromagnet Mn2Au by aligning the real space Néel vector indicating the direction of the staggered magnetization. Pulsed magnetic fields of 60 T were used to orient the sublattice magnetizations of capped epitaxial Mn2Au(001) thin films perpendicular to the applied field direction by a spin-flop transition. The electronic structure and its corresponding changes were investigated by angular-resolved photoemission spectroscopy with photon energies in the vacuum-ultraviolet, soft, and hard X-ray range. The results reveal an energetic rearrangement of conduction electrons propagating perpendicular to the Néel vector. They confirm previous predictions on the origin of the Néel spin-orbit torque and anisotropic magnetoresistance in Mn2Au and reflect the combined antiferromagnetic and spin-orbit interaction in this compound leading to inversion symmetry breaking.
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Affiliation(s)
- H J Elmers
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S V Chernov
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S W D'Souza
- New Technologies-Research Centre, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitni 8, 306 14 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - S P Bommanaboyena
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S Yu Bodnar
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - K Medjanik
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S Babenkov
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - O Fedchenko
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - D Vasilyev
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - S Y Agustsson
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - C Schlueter
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - A Gloskovskii
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - Yu Matveyev
- Deutsches Elektronen-Synchrotron DESY, 22607 Hamburg, Germany
| | - V N Strocov
- Swiss Light Source, Paul Scherrer Institut, CH-5232 Villigen-PSI, Switzerland
| | - Y Skourski
- Dresden High Magnetic Field Laboratory (HLD-EMFL), Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf, 01328 Dresden, Germany
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - J Sinova
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Institute of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic
| | - J Minár
- New Technologies-Research Centre, University of West Bohemia, Univerzitni 8, 306 14 Pilsen, Czech Republic
| | - M Kläui
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - G Schönhense
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - M Jourdan
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudingerweg 7, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
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Bodnar SY, Šmejkal L, Turek I, Jungwirth T, Gomonay O, Sinova J, Sapozhnik AA, Elmers HJ, Kläui M, Jourdan M. Writing and reading antiferromagnetic Mn 2Au by Néel spin-orbit torques and large anisotropic magnetoresistance. Nat Commun 2018; 9:348. [PMID: 29367633 PMCID: PMC5783935 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-017-02780-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 16.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/20/2017] [Accepted: 12/26/2017] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Using antiferromagnets as active elements in spintronics requires the ability to manipulate and read-out the Néel vector orientation. Here we demonstrate for Mn2Au, a good conductor with a high ordering temperature suitable for applications, reproducible switching using current pulse generated bulk spin-orbit torques and read-out by magnetoresistance measurements. Reversible and consistent changes of the longitudinal resistance and planar Hall voltage of star-patterned epitaxial Mn2Au(001) thin films were generated by pulse current densities of ≃107 A/cm2. The symmetry of the torques agrees with theoretical predictions and a large read-out magnetoresistance effect of more than ≃6% is reproduced by ab initio transport calculations. The zero net moment of antiferromagnets makes them insensitive to magnetic fields and enables ultrafast dynamics promising for novel spintronics. Here the authors achieved pulse current induced Néel vector switching in Mn2Au(001) epitaxial thin films, which is associated with a large magnetoresistive effect allowing simple read-out.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Yu Bodnar
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - L Šmejkal
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany.,Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnicka 10, 162 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic.,Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 5, 12116, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - I Turek
- Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 5, 12116, Praha 2, Czech Republic
| | - T Jungwirth
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnicka 10, 162 00, Praha 6, Czech Republic.,School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, University Park, Nottingham, NG7 2RD, UK
| | - O Gomonay
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - J Sinova
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - A A Sapozhnik
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - H-J Elmers
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - M Kläui
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany
| | - M Jourdan
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg-Universität, Staudinger Weg 7, 55128, Mainz, Germany.
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7
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Šmejkal L, Železný J, Sinova J, Jungwirth T. Electric Control of Dirac Quasiparticles by Spin-Orbit Torque in an Antiferromagnet. Phys Rev Lett 2017; 118:106402. [PMID: 28339249 DOI: 10.1103/physrevlett.118.106402] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2016] [Indexed: 06/06/2023]
Abstract
Spin orbitronics and Dirac quasiparticles are two fields of condensed matter physics initiated independently about a decade ago. Here we predict that Dirac quasiparticles can be controlled by the spin-orbit torque reorientation of the Néel vector in an antiferromagnet. Using CuMnAs as an example, we formulate symmetry criteria allowing for the coexistence of topological Dirac quasiparticles and Néel spin-orbit torques. We identify the nonsymmorphic crystal symmetry protection of Dirac band crossings whose on and off switching is mediated by the Néel vector reorientation. We predict that this concept verified by minimal model and density functional calculations in the CuMnAs semimetal antiferromagnet can lead to a topological metal-insulator transition driven by the Néel vector and to the topological anisotropic magnetoresistance.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Šmejkal
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
- Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University in Prague, Ke Karlovu 3, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic
| | - J Železný
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Physics of Solids, Nöthnitzer Strasse 40, D-01187 Dresden, Germany
| | - J Sinova
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- Institut für Physik, Johannes Gutenberg Universität Mainz, D-55099 Mainz, Germany
| | - T Jungwirth
- Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 53 Praha 6, Czech Republic
- School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, United Kingdom
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