Chern Number Tunable Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Compensated Antiferromagnets

We propose to realize the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in two-dimensional compensated antiferromagnets without net spin magnetization. We consider antiferromagnetic MnBi_{2}Te_{4} as a concrete example. By breaking the parity-time (PT) symmetry of even-layer MnBi_{2}Te_{4}, we find that the system can host the QAHE with a nonzero Chern number. We show that by controlling the antiferromagnetic spin configuration-for example, down/up/up/down that breaks PT symmetry-tetralayer MnBi_{2}Te_{4} can host a Chern number |C|=1. Such spin configuration can be stabilized by pinning the spin orientations of the surfaces. Furthermore, via tuning the on-site orbital energy and vertical electric fields, we find rich QAHE phases with tunable Chern number of |C|=1,2,3. In addition, we reveal that the edge states are layer selective and primarily located at the boundaries of the bottom and top layers. Our Letter not only proposes a scheme to realize Chern number tunable QAHE in antiferromagnets without net spin magnetization but also provides a platform for layer-selective dissipationless transport devices.

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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2025-03-18
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.134.116603
Citations
13
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
16.21

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article

Chern Number Tunable Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Compensated Antiferromagnets

Yafei Ren, Zeyu Li, Wenhao Liang, Jiaqi An et al.
13 citations
Physical Review Letters
Topological Materials and Phenomena
16.21
article

Chern Number Tunable Quantum Anomalous Hall Effect in Compensated Antiferromagnets

Yafei Ren, Zeyu Li, Wenhao Liang, Jiaqi An, Zhenhua Qiao, Qian Niu
article en
13 citations

Abstract

We propose to realize the quantum anomalous Hall effect (QAHE) in two-dimensional compensated antiferromagnets without net spin magnetization. We consider antiferromagnetic MnBi_{2}Te_{4} as a concrete example. By breaking the parity-time (PT) symmetry of even-layer MnBi_{2}Te_{4}, we find that the system can host the QAHE with a nonzero Chern number. We show that by controlling the antiferromagnetic spin configuration-for example, down/up/up/down that breaks PT symmetry-tetralayer MnBi_{2}Te_{4} can host a Chern number |C|=1. Such spin configuration can be stabilized by pinning the spin orientations of the surfaces. Furthermore, via tuning the on-site orbital energy and vertical electric fields, we find rich QAHE phases with tunable Chern number of |C|=1,2,3. In addition, we reveal that the edge states are layer selective and primarily located at the boundaries of the bottom and top layers. Our Letter not only proposes a scheme to realize Chern number tunable QAHE in antiferromagnets without net spin magnetization but also provides a platform for layer-selective dissipationless transport devices.

Physical Review LettersVol. 134(11)
University of Science and Technology of China (CN), Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HK), University of Delaware (US)
National Natural Science Foundation of China, China Postdoctoral Science Foundation, National Key Research and Development Program of China
Openalex Percentile: Top 1%
Topological Materials and Phenomena
16.21
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