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…

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…

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.

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

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…

Elektrónová a pásová štruktúra CuMnAs študovaná optickou a fotoemissinou spektroskopiou

Tetragonal phase of CuMnAs progressively appears as one of the key materials for antiferromagnetic spintronics due to efficient current-induced spin-orbit torques whose existence can be directly inferred from crystal symmetry. Theoretical understanding of spintronic phenomena in this material, however, relies on the detailed knowledge of electronic structure (band structure and corresponding wave functions) which has so far been tested only to a limited extent. We show that AC permittivity (obtained from ellipsometry) and UV photoelectron spectra agree with density functional calculations. Together with the x-ray diffraction and precession electron diffraction tomography, our analysis confi…

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…

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 …

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

Symmetry and Topology in Antiferromagnetic Spintronics

Antiferromagnetic spintronics focuses on investigating and using antiferromagnets as active elements in spintronics structures. Last decade advances in relativistic spintronics led to the discovery of the staggered, current-induced field in antiferromagnets. The corresponding Neel spin-orbit torque allowed for efficient electrical switching of antiferromagnetic moments and, in combination with electrical readout, for the demonstration of experimental antiferromagnetic memory devices. In parallel, the anomalous Hall effect was predicted and subsequently observed in antiferromagnets. A new field of spintronics based on antiferromagnets has emerged. We will focus here on the introduction into …

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…

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 …