Abstract
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 Ni1/3NbS2. 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 Ni1/3NbS2 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.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 176701 |
| Journal | Physical Review Letters |
| Volume | 134 |
| Issue number | 17 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - May 2 2025 |
Funding
We acknowledge Kyung-Jin Lee for his helpful comments on our work. The work at CQM and SNU was supported by the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation (Grant No. SSTF-BA2101-05). J.-G.P. was partly funded by the Leading Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (Grants No. 2020R1A3B2079375 and No. RS-2020-NR049405). The theoretical works at the POSTECH were funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (Grants No. 2020R1A2C2013484 and No. RS-2024-00410027). In addition, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology also supported this work at both SNU and POSTECH. This work was partly performed at the SIM beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland. J.-G.P. acknowledges the hospitality of the Indian Institute of Science for support, and the financial support of the Infosys Foundation. We acknowledge Kyung-Jin Lee for his helpful comments on our work. The work at CQM and SNU was supported by the Samsung Science and Technology Foundation (Grant No. SSTF-BA2101-05). J.-G. P. was partly funded by the Leading Researcher Program of the National Research Foundation of Korea (Grants No. 2020R1A3B2079375 and No. RS-2020-NR049405). The theoretical works at the POSTECH were funded by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of Korea (Grants No. 2020R1A2C2013484 and No. RS-2024-00410027). In addition, the Samsung Advanced Institute of Technology also supported this work at both SNU and POSTECH. This work was partly performed at the SIM beamline of the Swiss Light Source (SLS), Paul Scherrer Institut, Villigen, Switzerland. J.-G. P. acknowledges the hospitality of the Indian Institute of Science for support, and the financial support of the Infosys Foundation.