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.