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| Main Authors: | , , , |
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| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2026
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| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23205 |
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| _version_ | 1866910247542587392 |
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| author | Li, Xiaokang Zhang, Jing Guo, Xiaodong Zhu, Zengwei |
| author_facet | Li, Xiaokang Zhang, Jing Guo, Xiaodong Zhu, Zengwei |
| contents | The manipulation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is a central theme in modern spintronics. In this work, we achieve reliable switching of the chiral AFM state in the Weyl antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Sn using a heat pulse combined with a very small magnetic field as small as 0.1 mT. By systematically measuring the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in high-quality single crystals, we show that the field needed for switching decreases as the temperature approaches the Néel temperature $T_N$, and vanishes at $T_N$. Pulsed thermal annealing above $T_N$ followed by cooling in a tiny external field enables full and reproducible switching of the magnetic octupole order. Our results show that thermal softening (heating above $T_N$ to temporarily remove the magnetic anisotropy) is a key step that lowers the energy barrier to nearly zero. This allows an extremely weak directional field (like the effective field from spin-orbit torque in thin-film devices) to set the final magnetic state during cooling. We also provide a simple model to estimate the temperature rise in nanoscale devices under current pulses, giving practical guidance for device design. This work highlights that thermal effects are not a side issue but an important partner to spin torques, and suggests that future work should take both into account. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2605_23205 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Pulsed thermal annealing enables switching of chiral antiferromagnetic order with a sub-millitesla field in Mn$_3$Sn Li, Xiaokang Zhang, Jing Guo, Xiaodong Zhu, Zengwei Materials Science Strongly Correlated Electrons Applied Physics The manipulation of antiferromagnetic (AFM) order is a central theme in modern spintronics. In this work, we achieve reliable switching of the chiral AFM state in the Weyl antiferromagnet Mn$_3$Sn using a heat pulse combined with a very small magnetic field as small as 0.1 mT. By systematically measuring the anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in high-quality single crystals, we show that the field needed for switching decreases as the temperature approaches the Néel temperature $T_N$, and vanishes at $T_N$. Pulsed thermal annealing above $T_N$ followed by cooling in a tiny external field enables full and reproducible switching of the magnetic octupole order. Our results show that thermal softening (heating above $T_N$ to temporarily remove the magnetic anisotropy) is a key step that lowers the energy barrier to nearly zero. This allows an extremely weak directional field (like the effective field from spin-orbit torque in thin-film devices) to set the final magnetic state during cooling. We also provide a simple model to estimate the temperature rise in nanoscale devices under current pulses, giving practical guidance for device design. This work highlights that thermal effects are not a side issue but an important partner to spin torques, and suggests that future work should take both into account. |
| title | Pulsed thermal annealing enables switching of chiral antiferromagnetic order with a sub-millitesla field in Mn$_3$Sn |
| topic | Materials Science Strongly Correlated Electrons Applied Physics |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2605.23205 |