Chiral-spin rotation of non-collinear antiferromagnet by spin-orbit torque.

Abstract

Electrical manipulation of magnetic materials by current-induced spin torque constitutes the basis of spintronics. Here, we show an unconventional response to spin-orbit torque of a non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn, which has attracted attention owing to its large anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishingly small net magnetization. In epitaxial heavy-metal/Mn3Sn heterostructures, we observe a characteristic fluctuation of the Hall resistance under the application of electric current. This observation is explained by a rotation of the chiral-spin structure of Mn3Sn driven by spin-orbit torque. We find that the variation of the magnitude of anomalous Hall effect fluctuation with sample size correlates with the number of magnetic domains in the Mn3Sn layer. In addition, the dependence of the critical current on Mn3Sn layer thickness reveals that spin-orbit torque generated by small current densities, below 20 MA cm-2, effectively acts on the chiral-spin structure even in Mn3Sn layers that are thicker than 20 nm. The results provide additional pathways for electrical manipulation of magnetic materials.