Current-Driven Collective Control of Helical Spin Texture in van der Waals Antiferromagnet
Electrical control of quantum magnetic states is essential in spintronic science. Initial studies on the ferromagnetic state control were extended to collinear antiferromagnets and, more recently, noncollinear antiferromagnets. However, electrical control mechanisms of such exotic magnetic states remain poorly understood. Here, we report the first experimental and theoretical example of the current control of helical antiferromagnets, arising from the competition between collinear antiferromagnetic exchange and interlayer Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction in new van der Waals (vdW) material Ni_{1/3}NbS_{2}. Due to the intrinsic broken inversion symmetry, an in-plane current generates spin-orbit torque that, in turn, interacts directly with the helical antiferromagnetic order. Our theoretical analyses indicate that a weak ferromagnetic order coexists due to the Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction, mediating the spin-orbit torque to collectively rotate the helical antiferromagnetic order. Our Ni_{1/3}NbS_{2} nanodevice experiments produce current-dependent resistance change consistent with the theoretical prediction. This Letter widens our understanding of the electrical control of helical antiferromagnets and promotes vdW quantum magnets as interesting material platforms for electrical control.
Authors
- Maxim Avdeev (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-2366-5809)
- You‐Jin Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9133-7893)
- Armin Kleibert (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3630-9360)
- Je‐Geun Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-3930-4226)
- Kaixuan Zhang (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9958-6018)
- Yeochan An (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-9282-7130)
- Suik Cheon (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1789-3274)
- Pyeongjae Park (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5246-1779)
- Younjung Jo (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8030-583X)
- Hyun‐Woo Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1648-8093)
- Hyuncheol Kim (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1396-6563)
- Jong‐Seok Lee (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5255-4425)
- Joonyoung Choi (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-6877-7049)
- Suhan Son (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6365-4659)
- Jihoon Keum
- Hwiin Ju
- Jingyuan Cui
Institutions
- Pohang University of Science and Technology (KR)
- The University of Sydney (AU)
- Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (AU)
- Seoul National University (KR)
- Paul Scherrer Institute (CH)
- Asia Pacific Center for Theoretical Physics (KR)
- Kyungpook National University (KR)
- Gwangju Institute of Science and Technology (KR)
Publication Details
- Journal
- Physical Review Letters
- Published
- 2025-04-29
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.134.176701
- Citations
- 10
- Primary Topic
- Magnetic properties of thin films
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 12.47
Funders
- Indian Institute of Science
- National Research Foundation of Korea
- Infosys Foundation
- Samsung Science and Technology Foundation