Imaging and writing magnetic domains in the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn

Text

Antiferromagnets represent a more abundant form of magnetic order than the well known and broadly exploited ferromagnets. Our recent studies have opened the possibility to electrically and optically write end read information in antiferromagnetic memories. However, detailed understanding of these devices suffers from the invisibility of antiferromagnetic domains by common magnetic microscopies. In this work we have developed a sufficiently sensitive laboratory microscopy which allowed us to image antiferromagnetic domains in a broadly explored material Mn3Sn.

Antiferromagnetic domain imaging
Description
(a) Crystal and non-collinear antiferromagneti structure of Mn3Sn. (b) Magnetic structure of oppositely oriented antiferromagnetic domains. (c) Microscopy of antiferromagnetic domains.

Contact: Tomáš Jungwirth
Cooperating institutions: Charles University, Technische Universität, Max-Planck, Helmholtz Dresden, Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory and University of Nottingham