No Arabic abstract
By combining two independent approaches, inelastic neutron scattering measurements and density functional theory calculations, we study the spin-waves in the high-temperature collinear antiferromagnetic phase (AFM2) of Mn$_5$Si$_3$. We obtain its magnetic ground-state properties and electronic structure. This study allowed us to determine the dominant magnetic exchange interactions and magnetocrystalline anisotropy in the AFM2 phase of Mn$_5$Si$_3$. Moreover, the evolution of the spin excitation spectrum is investigated under the influence of an external magnetic field perpendicular to the anisotropy easy-axis. The low energy magnon modes show a different magnetic field dependence which is a direct consequence of their different precessional nature. Finally, possible effects related to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction are also considered.
We report the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in antiperovskite Mn$_{3}$NiN with substantial doping of Cu on the Ni site (i.e. Mn$_{3}$Ni$_{1-x}$Cu$_{x}$N), which stabilizes a noncollinear antiferromagnetic (AFM) order compatible with the AHE. Observed on both sintered polycrystalline pieces and single crystalline films, the AHE does not scale with the net magnetization, contrary to the conventional ferromagnetic case. The existence of the AHE is explained through symmetry analysis based on the $Gamma_{rm 4g}$ AFM order in Cu doped Mn$_{3}$NiN. DFT calculations of the intrinsic contribution to the AHE reveal the non-vanishing Berry curvature in momentum space due to the noncollinear magnetic order. Combined with other attractive properties, antiperovskite Mn$_{3}$AN system offers great potential in AFM spintronics.
Electrical generation of THz spin waves is theoretically explored in an antiferromangetic nanostrip via the current-induced spin-orbit torque. The analysis based on micromagnetic simulations clearly illustrates that the Neel-vector oscillations excited at one end of the magnetic strip can propagate in the form of a traveling wave when the nanostrip axis aligns with the magnetic easy-axis. A sizable threshold is observed in the driving current density or the torque to overcome the unfavorable anisotropy as expected. The generated spin waves are found to travel over a long distance while the angle of rotation undergoes continuous decay in the presence of non-zero damping. The oscillation frequency is tunable via the strength of the spin-orbit torque, reaching the THz regime. Other key characteristics of the spin waves such as the phase and the chirality can also be modulated actively. The simulation results further indicate the possibility of wave-like superposition between the excited spin oscillations, illustrating its application as an efficient source of spin-wave signals for information processing.
We report on the ultrafast dynamics of magnetic order in a single crystal of CuO at a temperature of 207 K in response to strong optical excitation using femtosecond resonant x-ray diffraction. In the experiment, a femtosecond laser pulse induces a sudden, nonequilibrium increase in magnetic disorder. After a short delay ranging from 400 fs to 2 ps, we observe changes in the relative intensity of the magnetic ordering diffraction peaks that indicate a shift from a collinear commensurate phase to a spiral incommensurate phase. These results indicate that the ultimate speed for this antiferromagnetic re-orientation transition in CuO is limited by the long-wavelength magnetic excitation connecting the two phases.
In the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Sn, we compare simultaneous measurements of the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) and the magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE) through two magnetic phase transitions: the high-temperature paramagnetic/antiferromagnetic phase transition at the Neel temperature ($T_N approx$420~K), and a lower-temperature incommensurate magnetic ordering at $T_1 approx$270~K. While both the AHE and MOKE are sensitive to the same underlying symmetries of the antiferromagnetic non-collinear spin order, we find that the transition temperatures measured by these two techniques unexpectedly differ by approximately 10~K. Moreover, the applied magnetic field at which the antiferromagnetic order reverses is significantly larger when measured by MOKE than when measured by AHE. These results point to a difference between the bulk and surface magnetic properties of Mn$_3$Sn.
We have studied the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in strained thin films of the frustrated antiferromagnet Mn$_{3}$NiN. The AHE does not follow the conventional relationships with magnetization or longitudinal conductivity and is enhanced relative to that expected from the magnetization in the antiferromagnetic state below $T_{mathrm{N}} = 260$,K. This enhancement is consistent with origins from the non-collinear antiferromagnetic structure, as the latter is closely related to that found in Mn$_{3}$Ir and Mn$_{3}$Pt where a large AHE is induced by the Berry curvature. As the Berry phase induced AHE should scale with spin-orbit coupling, yet larger AHE may be found in other members of the chemically flexible Mn$_{3}A$N structure.