Sub-spin-flop switching of a fully compensated antiferromagnet by magnetic field

Fuente: arXiv
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Main Authors: Zhou, Honglin, Wang, Muyu, Ma, Yinina, Ma, Xiaoyan, Li, Gang, Tao, Zihao, Zheng, Xiquan, Yan, Liqin, Peng, Yingying, Shao, Ding-Fu, Liu, Bo, Li, Shiliang
Format: Preprint
Published: 2025
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author Zhou, Honglin
Wang, Muyu
Ma, Yinina
Ma, Xiaoyan
Li, Gang
Tao, Zihao
Zheng, Xiquan
Yan, Liqin
Peng, Yingying
Shao, Ding-Fu
Liu, Bo
Li, Shiliang
author_facet Zhou, Honglin
Wang, Muyu
Ma, Yinina
Ma, Xiaoyan
Li, Gang
Tao, Zihao
Zheng, Xiquan
Yan, Liqin
Peng, Yingying
Shao, Ding-Fu
Liu, Bo
Li, Shiliang
contents The control of antiferromagnets by magnetic fields represents a fundamental challenge in condensed matter physics, owing to their fully compensated magnetic order and vanishing net magnetization. Conventional methods rely on either uncompensated moments or high-field spin-flop transitions. Here, we demonstrate low-field switching in the fully compensated antiferromagnet CeNiAsO -- a material recently proposed as a candidate for $p$-wave magnetism. Using an in-plane magnetic field well below the spin-flop threshold, we selectively stabilize one of two degenerate antiferromagnetic domains with mutually orthogonal sublattice orientations. This field-induced domain selection allows reversible and nonvolatile switching of a giant in-plane resistivity anisotropy up to $\sim35\,\%$ -- a magnitude that far exceeds conventional anisotropy signals driven by spin-orbit coupling. The switching behavior persists across both the low-temperature noncollinear Néel phase and the higher-temperature collinear spin-density-wave phase, highlighting the universality of the domain-selection mechanism. Our work establishes a practical approach for manipulating compensated antiferromagnets with modest magnetic fields and underscores their potential for high-performance spintronic devices based on giant and switchable resistivity anisotropy.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2509_07351
institution arXiv
publishDate 2025
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Sub-spin-flop switching of a fully compensated antiferromagnet by magnetic field
Zhou, Honglin
Wang, Muyu
Ma, Yinina
Ma, Xiaoyan
Li, Gang
Tao, Zihao
Zheng, Xiquan
Yan, Liqin
Peng, Yingying
Shao, Ding-Fu
Liu, Bo
Li, Shiliang
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
The control of antiferromagnets by magnetic fields represents a fundamental challenge in condensed matter physics, owing to their fully compensated magnetic order and vanishing net magnetization. Conventional methods rely on either uncompensated moments or high-field spin-flop transitions. Here, we demonstrate low-field switching in the fully compensated antiferromagnet CeNiAsO -- a material recently proposed as a candidate for $p$-wave magnetism. Using an in-plane magnetic field well below the spin-flop threshold, we selectively stabilize one of two degenerate antiferromagnetic domains with mutually orthogonal sublattice orientations. This field-induced domain selection allows reversible and nonvolatile switching of a giant in-plane resistivity anisotropy up to $\sim35\,\%$ -- a magnitude that far exceeds conventional anisotropy signals driven by spin-orbit coupling. The switching behavior persists across both the low-temperature noncollinear Néel phase and the higher-temperature collinear spin-density-wave phase, highlighting the universality of the domain-selection mechanism. Our work establishes a practical approach for manipulating compensated antiferromagnets with modest magnetic fields and underscores their potential for high-performance spintronic devices based on giant and switchable resistivity anisotropy.
title Sub-spin-flop switching of a fully compensated antiferromagnet by magnetic field
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Materials Science
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2509.07351