Quantum metric induced magneto-optical effects in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets

Fuente: arXiv
Saved in:
Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Li, Yongpan, Liu, Yichen, Liu, Cheng-Cheng
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
Subjects:
Online Access:
Tags: Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
_version_ 1866929744837083136
author Li, Yongpan
Liu, Yichen
Liu, Cheng-Cheng
author_facet Li, Yongpan
Liu, Yichen
Liu, Cheng-Cheng
contents The magneto-optical effects (MOEs), as a fundamental physical phenomenon, can reveal the electronic structures of materials. The related probing methods are widely used in the study of magnetic materials. However, space-time inversion ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetric antiferromagnets were previously believed to be magneto-optically inactive. Here, we point out that this traditional understanding is incorrect. Based on our generic formulas and symmetry analysis, we find that in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets, it is the quantum metric, i.e., the real part of the quantum geometry, that induces MOEs. Combining a tight-binding model and first-principles calculations, we confirm this observation by showing MOEs in the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnet. Our work demonstrates that $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets previously thought to lack MOEs can indeed exhibit MOEs and greatly broaden the research on MOEs.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2503_04312
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Quantum metric induced magneto-optical effects in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets
Li, Yongpan
Liu, Yichen
Liu, Cheng-Cheng
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Computational Physics
The magneto-optical effects (MOEs), as a fundamental physical phenomenon, can reveal the electronic structures of materials. The related probing methods are widely used in the study of magnetic materials. However, space-time inversion ($\mathcal{PT}$) symmetric antiferromagnets were previously believed to be magneto-optically inactive. Here, we point out that this traditional understanding is incorrect. Based on our generic formulas and symmetry analysis, we find that in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets, it is the quantum metric, i.e., the real part of the quantum geometry, that induces MOEs. Combining a tight-binding model and first-principles calculations, we confirm this observation by showing MOEs in the $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnet. Our work demonstrates that $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets previously thought to lack MOEs can indeed exhibit MOEs and greatly broaden the research on MOEs.
title Quantum metric induced magneto-optical effects in $\mathcal{PT}$-symmetric antiferromagnets
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Computational Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2503.04312