Dynamic signatures of spin-lattice coupling in the layered ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6
Abstract Magnetic van der Waals (vdW) materials exhibit a profound interconnectedness between their various degrees of freedom, pointing to a wealth of potential applications in low-power and high-speed spintronic devices. Recently, light-matter interactions have been leveraged as robust, dynamic pathways to gain control over the properties of vdW magnets through the use of ultrafast pulses of light. Here, we utilize ultrafast photoexcitation to drive coherent lattice oscillations in the layered ferrimagnetic crystal Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 , which significantly stiffen below the magnetic ordering temperature. We suggest that this is due to an exchange-mediated contraction of the lattice, stemming from strong magneto-structural coupling in this material. Furthermore, simulations of the transient incoherent response uncover the critical role of the spin-mediated electronic relaxation pathways. These results underscore the importance of spin-lattice coupling in vdW magnets and demonstrate a promising strategy for their dynamic optical control via their entangled degrees of freedom.
Authors
- Rohit P. Prasankumar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0902-2831)
- Marshall Campbell (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-3639-9669)
- Unai Atxitia (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-2871-5644)
- Theodor Griepe (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7765-3673)
- C. Petrović (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6063-1881)
- Prashant Padmanabhan (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1881-5262)
- Sumit Haldar (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5708-8360)
- Michael T. Pettes (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6862-6841)
- Srinivasa Rao Singamaneni (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1653-9759)
- Luis M. Martinez (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0512-573X)
- Elton J. G. Santos
- Yu Liu (ORCID: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1337-2527)
Institutions
- Los Alamos National Laboratory (US)
- The University of Texas at El Paso (US)
- Brookhaven National Laboratory (US)
- University of California, Irvine (US)
- Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid (ES)
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies (US)
- Donostia International Physics Center (ES)
- University of Edinburgh (GB)
- Brookhaven College (US)
Publication Details
- Journal
- npj Spintronics
- Published
- 2025-09-04
- DOI
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s44306-025-00101-3
- Primary Topic
- Magnetic and transport properties of perovskites and related materials
- Type
- article
- Field-Weighted Citation Impact
- 0.00
Funders
- National Science Foundation
- U.S. Department of Energy
- Center for Integrated Nanotechnologies
- University of Edinburgh
- Office of Science
- National Nuclear Security Administration
- Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
- Division of Materials Research
- Basic Energy Sciences
- Laboratory Directed Research and Development
- Brookhaven National Laboratory
- Los Alamos National Laboratory