Route towards Dirac and Weyl antiferromagnetic spintronics

Topological quantum matter and spintronics research have been developed to a large extent independently. In this Review we discuss a new role that the antiferromagnetic order has taken in combining topological matter and spintronics. This occurs due to the complex microscopic symmetries present in antiferromagnets that allow, e.g., for topological relativistic quasiparticles and the newly discovered N\'{e}el spin-orbit torques to coexist. We first introduce the concepts of topological semimetals and spin-orbitronics. Secondly, we explain the antiferromagnetic symmetries on a minimal Dirac semimetal model and the guiding role of $\textit{ab initio}$ calculations in predictions of examples of…

Efficient Electrical Spin Splitter Based on Nonrelativistic Collinear Antiferromagnetism

Electrical spin-current generation is among the core phenomena driving the field of spintronics. Using {\em ab initio} calculations we show that a room-temperature metallic collinear antiferromagnet RuO$_2$ allows for highly efficient spin-current generation, arising from anisotropically-split bands with conserved up and down spins along the N\'eel vector axis. The zero net moment antiferromagnet acts as an electrical spin-splitter with a 34$^\circ$ propagation angle between spin-up and spin-down currents. Correspondingly, the spin-conductivity is a factor of three larger than the record value from a survey of 20,000 non-magnetic spin-Hall materials. We propose a versatile spin-splitter-tor…

Electric voltage generation by antiferromagnetic dynamics

We theoretically demonstrate dc and ac electric voltage generation due to spinmotive forces originating from domain wall motion and magnetic resonance, respectively, in two-sublattice antiferromagnets. Our theory accounts for the canting between the sublattice magnetizations, the nonadiabatic electron spin dynamics, and the Rashba spin-orbit coupling, with the inter-sublattice electron dynamics treated as a perturbation. This work suggests a new way to observe and explore the dynamics of antiferromagnetic textures by electrical means, an important aspect in the emerging field of antiferromagnetic spintronics, where both manipulation and detection of antiferromagnets are needed.

Chemical and Structural Trends in the Spin-Admixture Parameter of Organic Semiconductor Molecules

Spin mixing in organic semiconductors is related to spin–orbit coupling (SOC). However, a detailed study analyzing the dependence of the spin-admixture parameter (γ) on structural and material para...

Thickness dependence of anomalous Hall conductivity in L10-FePt thin film

L10 ordered alloys are ideal models for studying the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), which can be used to distinguish the origin from intrinsic (from band structure) or from extrinsic effects (from impurity scatterings). In the bulk limit of L10 ordered FePt films, the AHE is considered to be dominated by the intrinsic contribution, which mainly comes from the strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) of Pt atoms and exchange-splitting of Fe atoms. The study of anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC) of L10-FePt thin films is of particular interest for its application in spintronic devices. In order to reduce the effects of defects such as grain boundaries, we chose SrTiO3 as the substrate which has a ver…

Cross effect of magnetic field and charge current on antiferromagnetic dynamics

We theoretically examine a cross effect of magnetic field and charge current on antiferromagnetic domain wall dynamics. Since antiferromagnetic materials are largely insensitive to external magnetic fields in general, charge current has been shown recently as an alternative and efficient way to manipulate antiferromagnets. We find a new role of the magnetic field in the antiferromagnetic dynamics that appears when it is combined with charge current, demonstrating a domain wall motion in the presence of both field and current. We show that a spatially-varying magnetic field can shift the current-driven domain-wall velocity, depending on the domain-wall structure and the direction of the fiel…

Stabilizing spin spirals and isolated skyrmions at low magnetic field exploiting vanishing magnetic anisotropy

Skyrmions are topologically protected non-collinear magnetic structures. Their stability is ideally suited to carry information in, e.g., racetrack memories. The success of such a memory critically depends on the ability to stabilize and manipulate skyrmions at low magnetic fields. The non-collinear Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction originating from spin-orbit coupling drives skyrmion formation. It competes with Heisenberg exchange and magnetic anisotropy favoring collinear states. Isolated skyrmions in ultra-thin films so far required magnetic fields as high as several Tesla. Here, we show that isolated skyrmions in a monolayer of Co/Ru(0001) can be stabilized down to vanishing fields. Eve…

Concepts of antiferromagnetic spintronics

Antiferromagnetic spintronics is an emerging research field whose focus is on the electrical and optical control of the antiferromagnetic order parameter and its utility in information technology devices. An example of recently discovered new concepts is the N\'{e}el spin-orbit torque which allows for the antiferromagnetic order parameter to be controlled by an electrical current in common microelectronic circuits. In this review we discuss the utility of antiferromagnets as active and supporting materials for spintronics, the interplay of antiferromagnetic spintronics with other modern research fields in condensed matter physics, and its utility in future "More than Moore" information tech…

Understanding the Giant Enhancement of Exchange Interaction in Bi2Se3−EuS Heterostructures

A recent experiment indicated that a ferromagnetic EuS film in contact with a topological insulator ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ might show a largely enhanced Curie temperature and perpendicular magnetic anisotropy [F. Katmis et al., Nature (London) 533, 513 (2016).]. Through systematic density functional calculations, we demonstrate that in addition to the factor that ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Se}}_{3}$ has a strong spin orbit coupling, the topological surface states are crucial to make these unusual behaviors robust as they hybridize with EuS states and extend rather far into the magnetic layers. The magnetic moments of Eu atoms are nevertheless not much enhanced, unlike what was…

Quantifying the inverse spin-Hall effect in highly doped PEDOT:PSS

The authors provide experimental results that show the onset of the Nernst effect, thermovoltages and an inverse spin-Hall effect in the polymer PEDOT:PSS. Specifically, the observed inverse spin-Hall effect appears to be smaller than other measurements, but in better agreement with theoretical calculations.

Scaling of intrinsic domain wall magneto-resistance with confinement in electromigrated nanocontacts

In this work we study the evolution of intrinsic domain wall magnetoresistance (DWMR) with domain wall confinement. Clean permalloy notched half-ring nanocontacts are fabricated using a special ultra-high vacuum electromigration procedure to tailor the size of the wire in-situ and through the resulting domain wall confinement we tailor the domain wall width from a few tens of nm down to a few nm. Through measurements of the dependence of the resistance with respect to the applied field direction we extract the contribution of a single domain wall to the MR of the device, as a function of the domain wall width in the confining potential at the notch. In this size range, an intrinsic positive…

Comparison of first-principles methods to extract magnetic parameters in ultra-thin films: Co/Pt(111)

We compare three distinct computational approaches based on first-principles calculations within density functional theory to explore the magnetic exchange and the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions (DMI) of a Co monolayer on Pt(111), namely, (i) the method of infinitesimal rotations of magnetic moments based on the Korringa-Kohn-Rostoker (KKR) Green function method, (ii) the generalized Bloch theorem applied to spiraling magnetic structures and (iii) supercell calculations with noncollinear magnetic moments, the latter two being based on the full-potential linearized augmented plane wave (FLAPW) method. In particular, we show that the magnetic interaction parameters entering micromagnetic …

Crystal time-reversal symmetry breaking and spontaneous Hall effect in collinear antiferromagnets

Identification of a previously overlooked spontaneous Hall effect mechanism creates opportunities in low-dissipation spintronics.

Engineering the dynamics of topological spin textures by anisotropic spin-orbit torques

Integrating topologically stabilized magnetic textures such as skyrmions as nanoscale information carriers into future technologies requires the reliable control by electric currents. Here, we uncover that the relevant skyrmion Hall effect, which describes the deflection of moving skyrmions from the current flow direction, acquires important corrections owing to anisotropic spin-orbit torques that alter the dynamics of topological spin structures. Thereby, we propose a viable means for manipulating the current-induced motion of skyrmions and antiskyrmions. Based on these insights, we demonstrate by first-principles calculations and symmetry arguments that the motion of spin textures can be …

Engineering the molecular structure to optimize the spin Hall signal in organics

In this study, by engineering the molecular structure, we optimize the spin Hall conductivity and the spin Hall angle in organics by more than five and three orders of magnitude, respectively. We identify two important characteristics of organic molecules, namely substitution of heavy elements and the torsion angles between constituent units of the polymer, which have significant effects on the spin Hall signal. These characteristics are directly related to the spin-orbit coupling and the energetic disorder, both of which offer a wide scope of chemical tunability in high-mobility polymers. We compute the spin Hall characteristics for easily synthesized molecules and identify candidates to e…

Spin eigenexcitations of an antiferromagnetic skyrmion

We theoretically predict and classify the localized modes of a skyrmion in a collinear uniaxial antiferromagnet and discuss how they can be excited. As a central result, we find two branches of skyrmion eigenmodes with distinct physical properties characterized by being low or high energy excitations. The frequency dependence of the low-energy modes scales as $R_0^{-2}$ for skyrmions with large radius $R_0$. Furthermore, we predict localized high-energy eigenmodes, which have no direct ferromagnetic counterpart. Except for the breathing mode, we find that all localized antiferromagnet skyrmion modes, both in the low and high-energy branch, are doubly degenerated in the absence of a magnetic…

Ultrafast Spin Dynamics in Antiferromagnets

Antiferromagnets are promising materials for spintronics because they show fast magnetic dynamics, low susceptibility to magnetic fields, and produce no stray fields. In addition, the antiferromagnetic dynamics can be efficiently manipulated by spin and charge currents. Here we discuss spin and/or charge current induced dynamics of the antiferromagnetic textures (domain walls, skyrmions) and nanoparticles. We consider and analyse four types of torques which (spin) current can generate in an antiferromagnet with two magnetic sublattices. These torques can be classified as the staggered/nonstaggered (S/ NS) according to the effective spin accumulation at the magnetic sublattices and the field…

B–T phase diagram of Pd/Fe/Ir(111) computed with parallel tempering Monte Carlo

We use an atomistic spin model derived from density functional theory calculations for the ultra-thin film Pd/Fe/Ir(111) to show that temperature induces coexisting non-zero skyrmion and antiskyrmion densities. We apply the parallel tempering Monte Carlo method in order to reliably compute thermodynamical quantities and the B-T phase diagram in the presence of frustrated exchange interactions. We evaluate the critical temperatures using the topological susceptibility. We show that the critical temperatures depend on the magnetic field in contrast to previous work. In total, we identify five phases: spin spiral, skyrmion lattice, ferromagnetic phase, intermediate region with finite topologic…

Effective description of domain wall strings

The analysis of domain wall dynamics is often simplified to one-dimensional physics. For domain walls in thin films, more realistic approaches require the description as two-dimensional objects. This includes the study of vortices and curvatures along the domain walls as well as the influence of boundary effects. Here we provide a theory in terms of soft modes that allows us to analytically study the physics of extended domain walls and their stability. By considering irregularly shaped skyrmions as closed domain walls, we analyze their plasticity and compare their dynamics with those of circular skyrmions. Our theory directly provides an analytical description of the excitation modes of ma…

Skyrmion-number dependence of spin-transfer torque on magnetic bubbles

We theoretically study the skyrmion-number dependence of spin-transfer torque acting on magnetic bubbles. The skymrion number of magnetic bubbles can take any integer value depending on the magnetic profile on its circumference and the size of the bubble. We find that the transverse motion of a bubble with respect to the charge current is greatly suppressed as the absolute value of the skyrmion number departs from unity, whereas the longitudinal motion is less sensitive.

Relativistic Neel-order fields induced by electrical current in antiferromagnets

We predict that a lateral electrical current in antiferromagnets can induce non-equilibrium N\'eel order fields, i.e. fields whose sign alternates between the spin sublattices, which can trigger ultra-fast spin-axis reorientation. Based on microscopic transport theory calculations we identify staggered current-induced fields analogous to the intra-band and to the intrinsic inter-band spin-orbit fields previously reported in ferromagnets with a broken inversion-symmetry crystal. To illustrate their rich physics and utility, we considered bulk Mn2Au with the two spin sublattices forming inversion partners, and a 2D square-lattice antiferromagnet with broken structural inversion symmetry model…

Efficient spin torques in antiferromagnetic CoO/Pt quantified by comparing field- and current- induced switching

Comment: 16 pages (manuscript and supplementary), 12 figures

A magnetic skyrmion as a non-linear resistive element - a potential building block for reservoir computing

Inspired by the human brain, there is a strong effort to find alternative models of information processing capable of imitating the high energy efficiency of neuromorphic information processing. One possible realization of cognitive computing are reservoir computing networks. These networks are built out of non-linear resistive elements which are recursively connected. We propose that a skyrmion network embedded in frustrated magnetic films may provide a suitable physical implementation for reservoir computing applications. The significant key ingredient of such a network is a two-terminal device with non-linear voltage characteristics originating from single-layer magnetoresistive effects,…

Coupling of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic spin dynamics in Mn$_{2}$Au/NiFe thin-film bilayers

We investigate magnetization dynamics of Mn$_{2}$Au/Py (Ni$_{80}$Fe$_{20}$) thin film bilayers using broadband ferromagnetic resonance (FMR) and Brillouin light scattering spectroscopy. Our bilayers exhibit two resonant modes with zero-field frequencies up to almost 40 GHz, far above the single-layer Py FMR. Our model calculations attribute these modes to the coupling of the Py FMR and the two antiferromagnetic resonance (AFMR) modes of Mn2Au. The coupling-strength is in the order of 1.6 T$\cdot$nm at room temperature for nm-thick Py. Our model reveals the dependence of the hybrid modes on the AFMR frequencies and interfacial coupling as well as the evanescent character of the spin waves th…

Concepts of antiferromagnetic spintronics (Phys. Status Solidi RRL 4/2017)

Terahertz electrical writing speed in an antiferromagnetic memory

The speed of writing of state-of-the-art ferromagnetic memories is physically limited by an intrinsic gigahertz threshold. Recently, realization of memory devices based on antiferromagnets, in which spin directions periodically alternate from one atomic lattice site to the next has moved research in an alternative direction. We experimentally demonstrate at room temperature that the speed of reversible electrical writing in a memory device can be scaled up to terahertz using an antiferromagnet. A current-induced spin-torque mechanism is responsible for the switching in our memory devices throughout the 12-order-of-magnitude range of writing speeds from hertz to terahertz. Our work opens the…

Spinmotive force due to motion of magnetic bubble arrays driven by magnetic field gradient

Interaction between local magnetization and conduction electrons is responsible for a variety of phenomena in magnetic materials. It has been recently shown that spin current and associated electric voltage can be induced by magnetization that depends on both time and space. This effect, called spinmotive force, provides for a powerful tool for exploring the dynamics and the nature of magnetic textures, as well as a new source for electromotive force. Here we theoretically demonstrate the generation of electric voltages in magnetic bubble array systems subjected to a magnetic field gradient. It is shown by deriving expressions for the electric voltages that the present system offers a direc…

Magnon detection using a ferroic collinear multilayer spin valve

Information transport and processing by pure magnonic spin currents in insulators is a promising alternative to conventional charge-current-driven spintronic devices. The absence of Joule heating and reduced spin wave damping in insulating ferromagnets have been suggested for implementing efficient logic devices. After the successful demonstration of a majority gate based on the superposition of spin waves, further components are required to perform complex logic operations. Here, we report on magnetization orientation-dependent spin current detection signals in collinear magnetic multilayers inspired by the functionality of a conventional spin valve. In Y3Fe5O12|CoO|Co, we find that the de…

Laser-driven quantum magnonics and terahertz dynamics of the order parameter in antiferromagnets

The impulsive generation of two-magnon modes in antiferromagnets by femtosecond optical pulses, so-called femto-nanomagnons, leads to coherent longitudinal oscillations of the antiferromagnetic order parameter that cannot be described by a thermodynamic Landau-Lifshitz approach. We argue that this dynamics is triggered as a result of a laser-induced modification of the exchange interaction. In order to describe the oscillations we have formulated a quantum mechanical description in terms of magnon pair operators and coherent states. Such an approach allowed us to} derive an effective macroscopic equation of motion for the temporal evolution of the antiferromagnetic order parameter. An impli…

Spin caloric effects in antiferromagnets assisted by an external spin current

Searching for novel spin caloric effects in antiferromagnets we study the properties of thermally activated magnons in the presence of an external spin current and temperature gradient. We predict the spin Peltier effect -- generation of a heat flux by spin accumulation -- in an antiferromagnetic insulator with cubic or uniaxial magnetic symmetry. This effect is related with spin-current induced splitting of the relaxation times of the magnons with opposite spin direction. We show that the Peltier effect can trigger antiferromagnetic domain wall motion with a force whose value grows with the temperature of a sample. At a temperature, larger than the energy of the low-frequency magnons, this…

Direct imaging of current-induced antiferromagnetic switching revealing a pure thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism in NiO

We unambiguously identify the origin of the current-induced magnetic switching of insulating antiferromagnet/heavy metal bilayers. Previously, different reorientations of the Neel order for the same current direction were reported for different device geometries and different switching mechanisms were proposed. Here, we combine concurrent electrical readout and optical imaging of the switching of antiferromagnetic domains with simulations of the current-induced temperature and strain gradients. By comparing the switching in specially engineered NiO/Pt device and pulsing geometries, we can rule out spin-orbit torque based mechanisms and identify a thermomagnetoelastic mechanism to dominate t…

Mechanism of Néel Order Switching in Antiferromagnetic Thin Films Revealed by Magnetotransport and Direct Imaging.

We probe the current-induced magnetic switching of insulating antiferromagnet/heavy metals systems, by electrical spin Hall magnetoresistance measurements and direct imaging, identifying a reversal occurring by domain wall (DW) motion. We observe switching of more than one third of the antiferromagnetic domains by the application of current pulses. Our data reveal two different magnetic switching mechanisms leading together to an efficient switching, namely the spin-current induced effective magnetic anisotropy variation and the action of the spin torque on the DWs.

Electric Control of Dirac Quasiparticles by Spin-Orbit Torque in an Antiferromagnet

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 N\'{e}el vector in an antiferromagnet. Using CuMnAs as an example, we formulate symmetry criteria allowing for the co-existence of Dirac quasiparticles and N\'{e}el spin-orbit torques. We identify the non-symmorphic crystal symmetry protection of Dirac band crossings whose on and off switching is mediated by the N\'{e}el vector reorientation. We predict that this concept, verified by minimal model and density functional calculations in the CuMnAs semimetal ant…

Publisher Correction: Stabilizing spin spirals and isolated skyrmions at low magnetic field exploiting vanishing magnetic anisotropy

Skyrmions are topologically protected non-collinear magnetic structures. Their stability is ideally suited to carry information in, e.g., racetrack memories. The success of such a memory critically depends on the ability to stabilize and manipulate skyrmions at low magnetic fields. The non-collinear Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction originating from spin-orbit coupling drives skyrmion formation. It competes with Heisenberg exchange and magnetic anisotropy favoring collinear states. Isolated skyrmions in ultra-thin films so far required magnetic fields as high as several Tesla. Here, we show that isolated skyrmions in a monolayer of Co/Ru(0001) can be stabilized down to vanishing fields. Eve…

Electrical switching of perpendicular magnetization in a single ferromagnetic layer

We report on the efficient spin-orbit torque (SOT) switching in a single ferromagnetic layer induced by a new type of inversion asymmetry, the composition gradient. The SOT of 6- to 60-nm epitaxial FePt thin films with a $L{1}_{0}$ phase is investigated. The magnetization of the FePt single layer can be reversibly switched by applying electrical current with a moderate current density. Different from previously reported SOTs which either decreases with or does not change with the film thickness, the SOT in FePt increases with the film thickness. We found the SOT in FePt can be attributed to the composition gradient along the film normal direction. A linear correlation between the SOT and th…

Phenomenology of current-induced skyrmion motion in antiferromagnets

We study current-driven skyrmion motion in uniaxial thin film antiferromagnets in the presence of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interactions and in an external magnetic field. We phenomenologically include relaxation and current-induced torques due to both spin-orbit coupling and spatially inhomogeneous magnetic textures in the equation for the N\'eel vector of the antiferromagnet. Using the collective coordinate approach we apply the theory to a two-dimensional antiferromagnetic skyrmion and estimate the skyrmion velocity under an applied DC electric current.

Ferroic collinear multilayer magnon spin valve

Information transport and processing by pure magnonic spin currents in insulators is a promising alternative to conventional charge-current driven spintronic devices. The absence of Joule heating as well as the reduced spin wave damping in insulating ferromagnets has been suggested to enable the implementation of efficient logic devices. After the proof of concept for a logic majority gate based on the superposition of spin waves has been successfully demonstrated, further components are required to perform complex logic operations. A key component is a switch that corresponds to a conventional magnetoresistive spin valve. Here, we report on magnetization orientation dependent spin signal d…

Propagation Length of Antiferromagnetic Magnons Governed by Domain Configurations.

Spintronics seeks to functionalize antiferromagnetic materials to develop memory and logic devices operating at terahertz speed and robust against external magnetic field perturbations. To be useful, such functionality needs to be developed in thin film devices. The key functionality of long-distance spin-transport has, however, so far only been reported in bulk single crystal antiferromagnets, while in thin films, transport has so far been limited to a few nanometers. In this work, we electrically achieve a long-distance propagation of spin-information in thin films of the insulating antiferromagnet hematite. Through transport and magnetic imaging, we demonstrate a strong correlation betwe…

An insulating doped antiferromagnet with low magnetic symmetry as a room temperature spin conduit

We report room temperature long-distance spin transport of magnons in antiferromagnetic thin film hematite doped with Zn. The additional dopants significantly alter the magnetic anisotropies, resulting in a complex equilibrium spin structure that is capable of efficiently transporting spin angular momentum at room temperature without the need for a well-defined, pure easy-axis or easy-plane anisotropy. We find intrinsic magnon spin-diffusion lengths of up to 1.5 {\mu}m, and magnetic domain governed decay lengths of 175 nm for the low frequency magnons, through electrical transport measurements demonstrating that the introduction of non-magnetic dopants does not strongly reduce the transport…

Dynamically stabilized spin superfluidity in frustrated magnets

We study the onset of spin superfluidity, namely coherent spin transport mediated by a topological spin texture, in frustrated exchange-dominated magnetic systems, engendered by an external magnetic field. We show that for typical device geometries used in nonlocal magnetotransport experiments, the magnetic field stabilizes a spin superflow against fluctuations, up to a critical current. For a given current, the critical field depends on the precessional frequency of the texture, which can be separately controlled. We contrast such dynamic stabilization of a spin superfluid to the conventional approaches based on topological stabilization.

Combined effect of magnetic field and charge current on antiferromagnetic domain-wall dynamics

We theoretically examine a cross effect of magnetic field and charge current on antiferromagnetic domain wall dynamics. Since antiferromagnetic materials are largely insensitive to external magnetic fields in general, charge current has been shown recently as an alternative and efficient way to manipulate antiferromagnets. We find a new role of the magnetic field in the antiferromagnetic dynamics that appears when it is combined with charge current, demonstrating a domain wall motion in the presence of both field and current. We show that a spatially varying magnetic field can shift the current-driven domain-wall velocity, depending on the domain-wall structure and the direction of the fiel…

Large Tunneling Anisotropic Magneto-Seebeck Effect in a CoPt|MgO|Pt Tunnel Junction

We theoretically investigate the Tunneling Anisotropic Magneto-Seebeck effect in a realistically-modeled CoPt|MgO|Pt tunnel junction using coherent transport calculations. For comparison we study the tunneling magneto-Seebeck effect in CoPt|MgO|CoPt as well. We find that the magneto-Seebeck ratio of CoPt|MgO|Pt exceeds that of CoPt|MgO|CoPt for small barrier thicknesses, reaching 175% at room temperature. This result provides a sharp contrast to the magnetoresistance, which behaves oppositely for all barrier thicknesses and differs by one order of magnitude between devices. Here the magnetoresistance results from differences in transmission brought upon by changing the tunnel junction's mag…

High Antiferromagnetic Domain Wall Velocity Induced by Néel Spin-Orbit Torques.

We demonstrate the possibility to drive an antiferromagnetic domain wall at high velocities by fieldlike Neel spin-orbit torques. Such torques arise from current-induced local fields that alternate their orientation on each sublattice of the antiferromagnet and whose orientation depends primarily on the current direction, giving them their fieldlike character. The domain wall velocities that can be achieved by this mechanism are 2 orders of magnitude greater than the ones in ferromagnets. This arises from the efficiency of the staggered spin-orbit fields to couple to the order parameter and from the exchange-enhanced phenomena in antiferromagnetic texture dynamics, which leads to a low doma…

Room-temperature spin-orbit torque in NiMnSb

Materials that crystalize in diamond-related lattices, with Si and GaAs as their prime examples, are at the foundation of modern electronics. Simultaneously, the two atomic sites in the unit cell of these crystals form inversion partners which gives rise to relativistic non-equilibrium spin phenomena highly relevant for magnetic memories and other spintronic devices. When the inversion-partner sites are occupied by the same atomic species, electrical current can generate local spin polarization with the same magnitude and opposite sign on the two inversion-partner sites. In CuMnAs, which shares this specific crystal symmetry of the Si lattice, the effect led to the demonstration of electric…

Roles of chiral renormalization on magnetization dynamics in chiral magnets

In metallic ferromagnets, the interaction between local magnetic moments and conduction electrons renormalizes parameters of the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert equation such as the gyromagnetic ratio and the Gilbert damping, and makes them dependent on the magnetic configurations. Although the effects of the renormalization for nonchiral ferromagnets are usually minor and hardly detectable, we show that the renormalization does play a crucial role for chiral magnets. Here the renormalization is chiral and as such we predict experimentally identifiable effects on the phenomenology of magnetization dynamics. In particular, our theory for the self-consistent magnetization dynamics of chiral magnets a…

Effective strain manipulation of the antiferromagnetic state of polycrystalline NiO

As a candidate material for applications such as magnetic memory, polycrystalline antiferromagnets offer the same robustness to external magnetic fields, THz spin dynamics, and lack of stray field as their single crystalline counterparts, but without the limitation of epitaxial growth and lattice matched substrates. Here, we first report the detection of the average Neel vector orientiation in polycrystalline NiO via spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR). Secondly, by applying strain through a piezo-electric substrate, we reduce the critical magnetic field required to reach a saturation of the SMR signal, indicating a change of the anisotropy. Our results are consistent with polycrystalline NiO…

Néel Vector Induced Manipulation of Valence States in the Collinear Antiferromagnet Mn 2 Au

The coupling of real and momentum space is utilized to tailor electronic properties of the collinear metallic antiferromagnet Mn2Au by aligning the real space Neel vector indicating the direction o...

Temperature-dependent resistivity and anomalous Hall effect in NiMnSb from first principles

We present implementation of the alloy analogy model within fully relativistic density-functional theory with the coherent potential approximation for a treatment of nonzero temperatures. We calculate contributions of phonons and magnetic and chemical disorder to the temperature-dependent resistivity, anomalous Hall conductivity (AHC), and spin-resolved conductivity in ferromagnetic half-Heusler NiMnSb. Our electrical transport calculations with combined scattering effects agree well with experimental literature for Ni-rich NiMnSb with 1--2% Ni impurities on Mn sublattice. The calculated AHC is dominated by the Fermi surface term in the Kubo-Bastin formula. Moreover, the AHC as a function o…

Molecular Tuning of the Magnetic Response in Organic Semiconductors

The tunability of high-mobility organic semi-conductors (OSCs) holds great promise for molecular spintronics. In this study, we show this extreme variability - and therefore potential tunability - of the molecular gyromagnetic coupling ("g-") tensor with respect to the geometric and electronic structure in a much studied class of OSCs. Composed of a structural theme of phenyl- and chalcogenophene (group XVI element containing, five-membered) rings and alkyl functional groups, this class forms the basis of several intensely studied high-mobility polymers and molecular OSCs. We show how in this class the g-tensor shifts, $\Delta g$, are determined by the effective molecular spin-orbit couplin…

Characterizing breathing dynamics of magnetic skyrmions and antiskyrmions within the Hamiltonian formalism

We derive an effective Hamiltonian system describing the low-energy dynamics of circular magnetic skyrmions and antiskyrmions. Using scaling and symmetry arguments, we model (anti)skyrmion dynamics through a finite set of coupled, canonically conjugated, collective coordinates. The resulting theoretical description is independent of both micromagnetic details as well as any specificity in the ansatz of the skyrmion profile. Based on the Hamiltonian structure, we derive a general description for breathing dynamics of (anti)skyrmions in the limit of radius much larger than the domain wall width. The effective energy landscape reveals two qualitatively different types of breathing behavior. Fo…

Spin-orbit torques in locally and globally non-centrosymmetric crystals: Antiferromagnets and ferromagnets

One of the main obstacles that prevents practical applications of antiferromagnets is the difficulty of manipulating the magnetic order parameter. Recently, following the theoretical prediction [J. \v{Z}elezn\'y et al., PRL 113, 157201 (2014)], the electrical switching of magnetic moments in an antiferromagnet has been demonstrated [P. Wadley et al., Science 351, 587 (2016)]. The switching is due to the so-called spin-orbit torque, which has been extensively studied in ferromagnets. In this phenomena a non-equilibrium spin-polarization exchange coupled to the ordered local moments is induced by current, hence exerting a torque on the order parameter. Here we give a general systematic analys…

Giant and Tunneling Magnetoresistance in Unconventional Collinear Antiferromagnets with Nonrelativistic Spin-Momentum Coupling

Giant and tunneling magnetoresistance are physical phenomena used for reading information in commercial spintronic devices. The effects rely on a conserved spin current passing between a reference and a sensing ferromagnetic electrode in a multilayer structure. Recently, we have proposed that these fundamental spintronic effects can be realized in unconventional collinear antiferromagnets with nonrelativistic alternating spin-momentum coupling. Here, we elaborate on the proposal by presenting archetype model mechanisms for the giant and tunneling magnetoresistance effects in multilayers composed of these unconventional collinear antiferromagnets. The models are based, respectively, on aniso…

Stability and dynamics of in-plane skyrmions in collinear ferromagnets

We study the emergence and dynamics of in-plane skyrmions in collinear ferromagnetic heterostructures. We present a minimal energy model for this class of magnetic textures, determine the crystal symmetries compatible with it and propose material candidates, based on symmetries only, for the observation of these topological solitons. We calculate exact solutions of the energy model for in-plane skyrmions in the absence of dipolar interactions at critical coupling, the latter defined by the relations $H = K$ and $D = \sqrt{AK}$ for the strength of the external magnetic field and the Dzyaloshinskii coupling constant, respectively, with $K$ and $A$ being the anisotropy constant and the exchang…

Anisotropies and magnetic phase transitions in insulating antiferromagnets determined by a Spin-Hall magnetoresistance probe

Antiferromagnets possess a number of intriguing and promising properties for electronic devices, which include a vanishing net magnetic moment and thus insensitivity to large magnetic fields and characteristic terahertz frequency dynamics. However, probing the antiferromagnetic ordering is challenging without synchrotron-based facilities. Here, we determine the material parameters of the insulating iron oxide hematite, α-Fe2O3, using the surface sensitive spin-Hall magnetoresistance (SMR). Combined with a simple analytical model, we extract the antiferromagnetic anisotropies and the bulk Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya field over a wide range of temperatures and magnetic fields. Across the Morin phas…

Dynamics of noncollinear antiferromagnetic textures driven by spin current injection

We present a theoretical formalism to address the dynamics of textured, noncolliear antiferromagnets subject to spin current injection. We derive sine-Gordon type equations of motion for the antiferromagnets, which are applicable to technologically important antiferromagnets such as Mn3Ir and Mn3Sn, and enables an analytical approach to domain wall dynamics in those materials. We obtain the expression for domain wall velocity, which is estimated to reach around 1 km/s in Mn3Ir by exploiting spin Hall effect with electric current density around 10^11A/m^2.

Spin-orbit torques from interfacial spin-orbit coupling for various interfaces

We use a perturbative approach to study the effects of interfacial spin-orbit coupling in magnetic multilayers by treating the two-dimensional Rashba model in a fully three-dimensional description of electron transport near an interface. This formalism provides a compact analytic expression for current-induced spin-orbit torques in terms of unperturbed scattering coefficients, allowing computation of spin-orbit torques for various contexts, by simply substituting scattering coefficients into the formulas. It applies to calculations of spin-orbit torques for magnetic bilayers with bulk magnetism, those with interface magnetism, a normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator junction, and a topologic…

Spin Hall effects

In solid-state materials with strong relativistic spin-orbit coupling, charge currents generate transverse spin currents. The associated spin Hall and inverse spin Hall effects distinguish between charge and spin current where electron charge is a conserved quantity but its spin direction is not. This review provides a theoretical and experimental treatment of this subfield of spintronics, beginning with distinct microscopic mechanisms seen in ferromagnets and concluding with a discussion of optical-, transport-, and magnetization-dynamics-based experiments closely linked to the microscopic and phenomenological theories presented.

Disorder and localization effects on the local spectroscopic and infrared optical properties ofGa1−xMnxAs

We study numerically the influence of disorder and localization effects on the local spectroscopic characteristics and infrared optical properties of ${\text{Ga}}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}{\text{Mn}}_{x}\text{As}$. We treat the band structure and disorder effects at an equal level by using an exact diagonalization supercell simulation method. This method accurately describes the low-doping limit and gives a clear picture of the transition to higher dopings, which captures the localization effects inaccessible to other theoretical methods commonly used. Our simulations capture the rich in-gap localized states observed in scanning tunneling microscopy studies and reproduce the observed features of t…

Trochoidal motion and pair generation in skyrmion and antiskyrmion dynamics under spin-orbit torques

Magnetic skyrmions are swirling magnetic spin structures that could be used to build next-generation memory and logic devices. They can be characterized by a topological charge that describes how the spin winds around the core. The dynamics of skyrmions and antiskyrmions, which have opposite topological charges, are typically described by assuming a rigid core. However, this reduces the set of variables that describe skyrmion motion. Here we theoretically explore the dynamics of skyrmions and antiskyrmions in ultrathin ferromagnetic films and show that current-induced spin–orbit torques can lead to trochoidal motion and skyrmion–antiskyrmion pair generation, which occurs only for either the…

Magnon transport in the presence of antisymmetric exchange in a weak antiferromagnet

The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is at the heart of many modern developments in the research field of spintronics. DMI is known to generate noncollinear magnetic textures, and can take two forms in antiferromagnets: homogeneous or inter-sublattice, leading to small, canted moments and inhomogeneous or intra-sublattice, leading to formation of chiral structures. In this work, we first determine the strength of the effective field created by the DMI, using SQUID based magnetometry and transport measurements, in thin films of the antiferromagnetic iron oxide hematite, $\alpha$-Fe$_2$O$_3$. We demonstrate that DMI additionally introduces reconfigurability in the long distance magnon …

Phenomenology of current-skyrmion interactions in thin films with perpendicular magnetic anisotropy

We study skyrmions in magnetic thin films with structural inversion asymmetry perpendicular to the film plane. We determine the magnetization texture of a single skyrmion and its dependence on the strength of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction relative to the magnetostatic energy. Furthermore, we construct a phenomenological model that describes the interaction between the motion of skyrmions and electric currents to lowest order in spin-orbit coupling. We estimate the experimental verifiable velocities for current-driven motion of skyrmion textures based on available results obtained from domain walls dynamics.

Spin transfer torques and spin-dependent transport in a metallic F/AF/N tunneling junction

We study spin-dependent electron transport through a ferromagnetic-antiferromagnetic-normal metal tunneling junction subject to a voltage or temperature bias, in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. We derive microscopic formulas for various types of spin torque acting on the antiferromagnet as well as for charge and spin currents flowing through the junction. The obtained results are applicable in the limit of slow magnetization dynamics. We identify a parameter regime in which an unconventional damping-like torque can become comparable in magnitude to the equivalent of the conventional Slonczewski's torque generalized to antiferromagnets. Moreover, we show that the antiferromagnetic sublat…

Néel Spin-Orbit Torque Driven Antiferromagnetic Resonance in Mn2Au Probed by Time-Domain THz Spectroscopy

We observe the excitation of collective modes in the terahertz (THz) range driven by the recently discovered Neel spin-orbit torques (NSOTs) in the metallic antiferromagnet Mn_{2}Au. Temperature-dependent THz spectroscopy reveals a strong absorption mode centered near 1 THz, which upon heating from 4 to 450 K softens and loses intensity. A comparison with the estimated eigenmode frequencies implies that the observed mode is an in-plane antiferromagnetic resonance (AFMR). The AFMR absorption strength exceeds those found in antiferromagnetic insulators, driven by the magnetic field of the THz radiation, by 3 orders of magnitude. Based on this and the agreement with our theory modeling, we inf…

Spin-transfer torques in antiferromagnetic textures: Efficiency and quantification method

We formulate a theory of spin-transfer torques in textured antiferromagnets, which covers the small to large limits of the exchange coupling energy relative to the kinetic energy of the intersublattice electron dynamics. Our theory suggests a natural definition of the efficiency of spin-transfer torques in antiferromagnets in terms of well-defined material parameters, revealing that the charge current couples predominantly to the antiferromagnetic order parameter and the sublattice-canting moment in, respectively, the limits of large and small exchange coupling. The effects can be quantified by analyzing the antiferromagnetic spin-wave dispersions in the presence of charge current: in the l…

Minimal Model of Spin-Transfer Torque and Spin Pumping Caused by the Spin Hall Effect

In the normal metal/ferromagnetic insulator bilayer (such as Pt/Y$_{3}$Fe$_{5}$O$_{12}$) and the normal metal/ferromagnetic metal/oxide trilayer (such as Pt/Co/AlO$_{x}$) where spin injection and ejection are achieved by the spin Hall effect in the normal metal, we propose a minimal model based on quantum tunneling of spins to explain the spin-transfer torque and spin pumping caused by the spin Hall effect. The ratio of their damping-like to field-like component depends on the tunneling wave function that is strongly influenced by generic material properties such as interface $s-d$ coupling, insulating gap, and layer thickness, yet the spin relaxation plays a minor role. The quantified resu…

Efficient Spin Torques in Antiferromagnetic CoO/Pt Quantified by Comparing Field- and Current-Induced Switching

We achieve current-induced switching in collinear insulating antiferromagnetic CoO/Pt, with fourfold in-plane magnetic anisotropy. This is measured electrically by spin Hall magnetoresistance and confirmed by the magnetic field-induced spin-flop transition of the CoO layer. By applying current pulses and magnetic fields, we quantify the efficiency of the acting current-induced torques and estimate a current-field equivalence ratio of 4×10^{-11}  T A^{-1} m^{2}. The Neel vector final state (n⊥j) is in line with a thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism for a negative magnetoelastic constant of the CoO.

Direct Imaging of Current-Induced Antiferromagnetic Switching Revealing a Pure Thermomagnetoelastic Switching Mechanism in NiO.

We unravel the origin of current-induced magnetic switching of insulating antiferromagnet/heavy metal systems. We utilize concurrent transport and magneto-optical measurements to image the switching of antiferromagnetic domains in specially engineered devices of NiO/Pt bilayers. Different electrical pulsing and device geometries reveal different final states of the switching with respect to the current direction. We can explain these through simulations of the temperature induced strain and we identify the thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism combined with thermal excitations as the origin, in which the final state is defined by the strain distributions and heat is required to switch th…

Full angular dependence of the spin Hall and ordinary magnetoresistance in epitaxial antiferromagnetic NiO(001)/Pt thin films

We report the observation of the three-dimensional angular dependence of the spin Hall magnetoresistance (SMR) in a bilayer of the epitaxial antiferromagnetic insulator NiO(001) and the heavy metal Pt, without any ferromagnetic element. The detected angular-dependent longitudinal and transverse magnetoresistances are measured by rotating the sample in magnetic fields up to 11 T, along three orthogonal planes (xy-, yz- and xz-rotation planes, where the z-axis is orthogonal to the sample plane). The total magnetoresistance has contributions arising from both the SMR and ordinary magnetoresistance. The onset of the SMR signal occurs between 1 and 3 T and no saturation is visible up to 11 T. Th…

Spin texture motion in antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic nanowires

We propose a Hamiltonian dynamics formalism for the current and magnetic field driven dynamics of ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic domain walls in one dimensional systems. To demonstrate the power of this formalism, we derive Hamilton equations of motion via Poisson brackets based on the Landau-Lifshitz-Gilbert phenomenology, and add dissipative dynamics via the evolution of the energy. We use this approach to study current induced domain wall motion and compute the drift velocity. For the antiferromagnetic case, we show that a nonzero magnetic moment is induced in the domain wall, which indicates that an additional application of a magnetic field would influence the antiferromagnetic do…

Strain-induced Shape Anisotropy in Antiferromagnetic Structures

We demonstrate how shape dependent strain can be used to control antiferromagnetic order in NiO Pt thin films. For rectangular elements patterned along the easy and hard magnetocrystalline anisotropy axes of our film, we observe different domain structures and we identify magnetoelastic interactions that are distinct for different domain configurations. We reproduce the experimental observations by modeling the magnetoelastic interactions, considering spontaneous strain induced by the domain configuration, as well as elastic strain due to the substrate and the shape of the patterns. This allows us to demonstrate and explain how the variation of the aspect ratio of rectangular elements can b…

Stability and magnetic properties of Fe double layers on Ir (111)

We investigate the interplay between the structural reconstruction and the magnetic properties of Fe doublelayers on Ir (111)-substrate using first-principles calculations based on density functional theory and mapping of the total energies on an atomistic spin model. We show that, if a second Fe monolayer is deposited on Fe/Ir (111), the stacking may change from hexagonal close-packed to bcc (110)-like accompanied by a reduction of symmetry from trigonal to centered rectangular. Although the bcc-like surface has a lower coordination, we find that this is the structural ground state. This reconstruction has a major impact on the magnetic structure. We investigate in detail the changes in th…

Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya Interaction and Hall Effects in the Skyrmion Phase ofMn1−xFexGe

We carry out density functional theory calculations which demonstrate that the electron dynamics in the Skyrmion phase of Fe-rich Mn_{1-x}Fe_{x}Ge alloys is governed by Berry phase physics. We observe that the magnitude of the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction directly related to the mixed space-momentum Berry phases, changes sign and magnitude with concentration x in direct correlation with the data of Shibata et al. [Nat. Nanotechnol. 8, 723 (2013)]. The computed anomalous and topological Hall effects in FeGe are also in good agreement with available experiments. We further develop a simple tight-binding model able to explain these findings. Finally, we show that the adiabatic Berry phase…

Current-induced spin-orbit torques in ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic systems

Spin-orbit coupling in inversion-asymmetric magnetic crystals and structures has emerged as a powerful tool to generate complex magnetic textures, interconvert charge and spin under applied current, and control magnetization dynamics. Current-induced spin-orbit torques mediate the transfer of angular momentum from the lattice to the spin system, leading to sustained magnetic oscillations or switching of ferromagnetic as well as antiferromagnetic structures. The manipulation of magnetic order, domain walls and skyrmions by spin-orbit torques provides evidence of the microscopic interactions between charge and spin in a variety of materials and opens novel strategies to design spintronic devi…

Spin Hall effect

Spin Hall effects are a collection of relativistic spin-orbit coupling phenomena in which electrical currents can generate transverse spin currents and vice versa. Although first observed only a decade ago, these effects are already ubiquitous within spintronics as standard spin-current generators and detectors. Here we review the experimental and theoretical results that have established this sub-field of spintronics. We focus on the results that have converged to give us a clear understanding of the phenomena and how they have evolved from a qualitative to a more quantitative measurement of spin-currents and their associated spin-accumulation. Within the experimental framework, we review …

Long-distance spin-transport across the Morin phase transition up to room temperature in ultra-low damping single crystals of the antiferromagnet α-Fe2O3

Antiferromagnetic materials can host spin-waves with polarizations ranging from circular to linear depending on their magnetic anisotropies. Until now, only easy-axis anisotropy antiferromagnets with circularly polarized spin-waves were reported to carry spin-information over long distances of micrometers. In this article, we report long-distance spin-transport in the easy-plane canted antiferromagnetic phase of hematite and at room temperature, where the linearly polarized magnons are not intuitively expected to carry spin. We demonstrate that the spin-transport signal decreases continuously through the easy-axis to easy-plane Morin transition, and persists in the easy-plane phase through …

Narrow-band tunable terahertz detector in antiferromagnets via staggered-field and antidamping torques

We study dynamics of antiferromagnets induced by simultaneous application of dc spin current and ac charge current, motivated by the requirement of all-electrically controlled devices in the terahertz (THz) gap (0.1--30 THz). We show that ac electric current, via N\'eel spin-orbit torques, can lock the phase of a steady rotating N\'eel vector whose precession is controlled by a dc spin current. In the phase-locking regime the frequency of the incoming ac signal coincides with the frequency of auto-oscillations, which for typical antiferromagnets falls into the THz range. The frequency of auto-oscillations is proportional to the precession-induced tilting of the magnetic sublattices related …

Tuning Spin Current Injection at Ferromagnet-Nonmagnet Interfaces by Molecular Design.

There is a growing interest in utilizing the distinctive material properties of organic semiconductors for spintronic applications. Here, we explore the injection of pure spin current from Permalloy into a small molecule system based on dinaphtho[2,3-b:2,3-f]thieno[3,2-b]thiophene (DNTT) at ferromagnetic resonance. The unique tunability of organic materials by molecular design allows us to study the impact of interfacial properties on the spin injection efficiency systematically. We show that both the spin injection efficiency at the interface and the spin diffusion length can be tuned sensitively by the interfacial molecular structure and side chain substitution of the molecule.

Current-driven periodic domain wall creation in ferromagnetic nanowires

We predict the electrical generation and injection of domain walls into a ferromagnetic nano-wire without the need of an assisting magnetic field. Our analytical and numerical results show that above a critical current $j_{c}$ domain walls are injected into the nano-wire with a period $T \sim (j-j_{c})^{-1/2}$. Importantly, domain walls can be produced periodically even in a simple exchange ferromagnet with uniaxial anisotropy, without requiring any standard "twisting" interaction like Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya or dipole-dipole interactions. We show analytically that this process and the period exponents are universal and do not depend on the peculiarities of the microscopic Hamiltonian. Finall…

A stable path to ferromagnetic hydrogenated graphene growth

In this paper, we propose a practical way to stabilize half-hydrogenated graphene (graphone). We show that the dipole moments induced by an hexagonal-boron nitride (h-BN) substrate on graphene stabilize the hydrogen atoms on one sublattice of the graphene layer and suppress the migration of the absorbed hydrogen atoms. Based upon first principle spin polarized density of states (DOS) calculations, we show that the half hydrogenated graphene (graphone) obtained in different graphene-h-BN heterostructures exhibits a half metallic state. We propose to use this new exotic material for spin valve and other spintronics devices and applications.

Helical magnetic structure and the anomalous and topological Hall effects in epitaxial B20 Fe$_{1-y}$Co$_y$Ge films

Epitaxial films of the B20-structure compound Fe1−yCoyGe were grown by molecular beam epitaxy on Si (111) substrates. The magnetization varied smoothly from the bulklike values of one Bohr magneton per Fe atom for FeGe to zero for nonmagnetic CoGe. The chiral lattice structure leads to a Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI), and the films' helical magnetic ground state was confirmed using polarized neutron reflectometry measurements. The pitch of the spin helix, measured by this method, varies with Co content y and diverges at y∼0.45. This indicates a zero crossing of the DMI, which we reproduced in calculations using first-principles methods. We also measured the longitudinal and Hall r…

Route towards Dirac and Weyl antiferromagnetic spintronics (Phys. Status Solidi RRL 4/2017)

Intraband and interband spin-orbit torques in noncentrosymmetric ferromagnets

Intraband and interband contributions to the current-driven spin-orbit torque in magnetic materials lacking inversion symmetry are theoretically studied using Kubo formula. In addition to the current-driven field-like torque ${\bf T}_{\rm FL}= \tau_{\rm FL}{\bf m}\times{\bf u}_{\rm so}$ (${\bf u}_{\rm so}$ being a unit vector determined by the symmetry of the spin-orbit coupling), we explore the intrinsic contribution arising from impurity-independent interband transitions and producing an anti-damping-like torque of the form ${\bf T}_{\rm DL}= \tau_{\rm DL}{\bf m}\times({\bf u}_{\rm so}\times{\bf m})$. Analytical expressions are obtained in the model case of a magnetic Rashba two-dimension…

Observation of the Anomalous Hall Effect in a Collinear Antiferromagnet

Time-reversal symmetry breaking is the basic physics concept underpinning many magnetic topological phenomena such as the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and its quantized variant. The AHE has been primarily accompanied by a ferromagnetic dipole moment, which hinders the topological quantum states and limits data density in memory devices, or by a delicate noncollinear magnetic order with strong spin decoherence, both limiting their applicability. A potential breakthrough is the recent theoretical prediction of the AHE arising from collinear antiferromagnetism in an anisotropic crystal environment. This new mechanism does not require magnetic dipolar or noncollinear fields. However, it has not …

Very large magnetoresistance inFe0.28TaS2single crystals

There is great interest in understanding the physics of magnetic ordering and electronic transport in materials of reduced dimensionality with strong spin-orbit coupling. This paper presents magnetotransport measurements of Fe${}_{0.28}$TaS${}_{2}$ single crystals, which are found to exhibit very large magnetoresistance (MR) for magnetic fields along the easy axis. The authors believe that such a large MR arises from spin disorder scattering and propose to use this mechanism as a design principle for materials with large MR. Further tests are needed to fully rule out contributions from a more conventional anisotropic MR mechanism.

Manipulating antiferromagnets with magnetic fields: Ratchet motion of multiple domain walls induced by asymmetric field pulses

Future applications of antiferromagnets (AFs) in many spintronics devices rely on the precise manipulation of domain walls. The conventional approach using static magnetic fields is inefficient due to the low susceptibility of AFs. Recently proposed electrical manipulation with spin-orbit torques is restricted to metals with a specific crystal structure. Here we propose an alternative, broadly applicable approach: using asymmetric magnetic field pulses to induce controlled ratchet motion of AF domain walls. The efficiency of this approach is based on three peculiarities of AF dynamics. First, a time-dependent magnetic field couples with an AF order parameter stronger than a static magnetic …

An antidamping spin–orbit torque originating from the Berry curvature

Magnetization switching at the interface between ferromagnetic and paramagnetic metals, controlled by current-induced torques, could be exploited in magnetic memory technologies. Compelling questions arise regarding the role played in the switching by the spin Hall effect in the paramagnet and by the spin-orbit torque originating from the broken inversion symmetry at the interface. Of particular importance are the antidamping components of these current-induced torques acting against the equilibrium-restoring Gilbert damping of the magnetization dynamics. Here, we report the observation of an antidamping spin-orbit torque that stems from the Berry curvature, in analogy to the origin of the …

Giant Edelstein effect in Topological-Insulator--Graphene heterostructures

The control of a ferromagnet's magnetization via only electric currents requires the efficient generation of current-driven spin-torques. In magnetic structures based on topological insulators (TIs) current-induced spin-orbit torques can be generated. Here we show that the addition of graphene, or bilayer graphene, to a TI-based magnetic structure greatly enhances the current-induced spin density accumulation and significantly reduces the amount of power dissipated. We find that this enhancement can be as high as a factor of 100, giving rise to a giant Edelstein effect. Such a large enhancement is due to the high mobility of graphene (bilayer graphene) and to the fact that the graphene (bil…

Route towards Dirac and Weyl antiferromagnetic spintronics

Topological quantum matter and spintronics research have been developed to a large extent independently. In this Review we discuss a new role that the antiferromagnetic order has taken in combining topological matter and spintronics. This occurs due to the complex microscopic symmetries present in antiferromagnets that allow, e.g., for topological relativistic quasiparticles and the newly discovered N\'{e}el spin-orbit torques to coexist. We first introduce the concepts of topological semimetals and spin-orbitronics. Secondly, we explain the antiferromagnetic symmetries on a minimal Dirac semimetal model and the guiding role of $\textit{ab initio}$ calculations in predictions of examples of…

Prediction of ferroelectricity-driven Berry curvature enabling charge- and spin-controllable photocurrent in tin telluride monolayers

In symmetry-broken crystalline solids, pole structures of Berry curvature (BC) can emerge, and they have been utilized as a versatile tool for controlling transport properties. For example, the monopole component of the BC is induced by the time-reversal symmetry breaking, and the BC dipole arises from a lack of inversion symmetry, leading to the anomalous Hall and nonlinear Hall effects, respectively. Based on first-principles calculations, we show that the ferroelectricity in a tin telluride monolayer produces a unique BC distribution, which offers charge- and spin-controllable photocurrents. Even with the sizable band gap, the ferroelectrically driven BC dipole is comparable to those of …

Magnetoresistance effects in the metallic antiferromagnet Mn$_2$Au

In antiferromagnetic spintronics, it is essential to separate the resistance modifications of purely magnetic origin from other effects generated by current pulses intended to switch the N\'eel vector. We investigate the magnetoresistance effects resulting from magnetic field induced reorientations of the staggered magnetization of epitaxial antiferromagnetic Mn2Au(001) thin films. The samples were exposed to 60 T magnetic field pulses along different crystallographic in-plane directions of Mn2Au(001), while their resistance was measured. For the staggered magnetization aligned via a spin-flop transition parallel to the easy [110]-direction, an ansiotropic magnetoresistance of -0.15 % was m…

Data for the article "Long-distance spin-transport across the Morin phase transition up to room temperature in the ultra-low damping alpha-Fe2O3 antiferromagnet"

Data for experimental magneto-transport and resonance measurements for the article " Long-distance spin-transport across the Morin phase transition up to room temperature in the ultra-low damping α-Fe2O3 antiferromagnet " (https://arxiv.org/abs/2005.14414)

Data of the article "Efficient spin torques in antiferromagnetic CoO/Pt quantified by comparing field- and current- induced switching"

Data for experimental transport measurements and analytical calculations for the article "Efficient spin torques in antiferromagnetic CoO/Pt quantified by comparing field- and current- induced switching" (https://arxiv.org/abs/2003.05923)

Data for the article "Strain-induced shape anisotropy in antiferromagnetic structures"

Data for the article "Strain-induced shape anisotropy in antiferromagnetic structures" URL: https://link.aps.org/doi/10.1103/PhysRevB.106.094430 DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevB.106.094430

Data for the article "An insulating doped antiferromagnet with low magnetic symmetry as a room temperature spin conduit "

Data for the article "An insulating doped antiferromagnet with low magnetic symmetry as a room temperature spin conduit " (https://aip.scitation.org/doi/full/10.1063/5.0032940 and https://arxiv.org/abs/2011.09755)