Topological Phase Transition Driven by In-Plane Spin Rotation

The intrinsic coupling between magnetism and nontrivial band topology in magnetic topological insulators makes external magnetic fields a powerful tool for manipulating topological states. However, conventional magnetic control mechanisms, such as driving magnetic phase transitions or fully reversing magnetization, typically demand large magnetic fields and lack continuous tunability. Here, we establish a symmetry framework for the reversible switching of topological states via continuous in-plane spin rotation, governed by magnetic point group constraints on the Berry curvature distribution. Using a two-dimensional kagome ferromagnetic Chern insulator as a prototype, we demonstrate that a 60° in-plane magnetization rotation reverses the sign of the Chern number, transitioning through a topologically trivial state. Crucially, micromagnetic simulations confirm that this spin-reorientation-driven switching operates under exceptionally small magnetic fields and on ultrafast time scales. This work provides a highly efficient, low-energy paradigm for the manipulation of topological states.

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Publication Details

Journal
Nano Letters
Published
2026-06-26
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1021/acs.nanolett.6c01969
Primary Topic
Topological Materials and Phenomena
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Topological Phase Transition Driven by In-Plane Spin Rotation

Fei Gao, Yu Xie, Junting Zhang, Xinyue Zhu et al.
Nano Letters
Topological Materials and Phenomena
article

Topological Phase Transition Driven by In-Plane Spin Rotation

Fei Gao, Yu Xie, Junting Zhang, Xinyue Zhu, Yifei Hao, Yue Li
article en

Abstract

The intrinsic coupling between magnetism and nontrivial band topology in magnetic topological insulators makes external magnetic fields a powerful tool for manipulating topological states. However, conventional magnetic control mechanisms, such as driving magnetic phase transitions or fully reversing magnetization, typically demand large magnetic fields and lack continuous tunability. Here, we establish a symmetry framework for the reversible switching of topological states via continuous in-plane spin rotation, governed by magnetic point group constraints on the Berry curvature distribution. Using a two-dimensional kagome ferromagnetic Chern insulator as a prototype, we demonstrate that a 60° in-plane magnetization rotation reverses the sign of the Chern number, transitioning through a topologically trivial state. Crucially, micromagnetic simulations confirm that this spin-reorientation-driven switching operates under exceptionally small magnetic fields and on ultrafast time scales. This work provides a highly efficient, low-energy paradigm for the manipulation of topological states.

Nano Letters
China University of Mining and Technology (CN)
Sustainable cities and communities
Openalex Percentile: Top 6%
Topological Materials and Phenomena
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Topological Phase Transition Driven by In-Plane Spin Rotation — Fei Gao, Yu Xie, et al. · Nano Letters (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS