Abstract
Exchange bias is a phenomenon critical to solid-state technologies that require spin valves or nonvolatile magnetic memory. The phenomenon is usually studied in the context of magnetic interfaces between antiferromagnets and ferromagnets, where the exchange field of the former acts as a means to pin the polarization of the latter. In the present study, we report an unusual instance of this phenomenon in the topological Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2, where the magnetic interfaces associated with domain walls suffice to bias the entire ferromagnetic bulk. Remarkably, our data suggest the presence of a hidden order parameter whose behavior can be independently tuned by applied magnetic fields. For micron-size samples, the domain walls are absent, and the exchange bias vanishes, suggesting the boundaries are a source of pinned uncompensated moment arising from the hidden order. This mechanism suggests that exciting opportunities lie ahead for the application of topological materials in spintronic technologies.
| Original language | English |
|---|---|
| Article number | 144423 |
| Journal | Physical Review B |
| Volume | 105 |
| Issue number | 14 |
| DOIs | |
| State | Published - 1 Apr 2022 |
| Externally published | Yes |
Bibliographical note
Publisher Copyright:© 2022 American Physical Society.
Funding
We would like to thank B. Yan, Z. Ovadyahu, A. Vaknin, and A. Capua for fruitful discussions. We would like to thank S. Ben Atar for manufacturing the SOT microscope, N. Katz for growing the Nb thin films, and to E. Sabag which who was responsible for the construction of the Quantum Imaging Lab. This work was supported by European Research Council (ERC) Foundation Grant No. 802952 and Israel Science Foundation (ISF) Grants No. 649/17 and No. 2178/17. The international collaboration on this work was fostered by the EU-COST Action CA16218. S. G. acknowledges support from Israel Science Foundation Grant No. 1686/18. H.S. acknowledges funding provided by DFG Priority program Grant 443404566 and Israel Science Foundation Grant 861/19. J.G.A. and E.L. acknowledges support from the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through Grant No. GBMF9067 and National Science Foundation under Grant No. 1905397. E.L. is an awardee of the Weizmann Institute of Science - National Postdoctoral Award Program for Advancing Women in Science. F. T. is an awardee of the Hebrew University Center for Nanoscience and Nanotechnology Postdoctoral Fellowship.
| Funders | Funder number |
|---|---|
| National Science Foundation | 1905397 |
| Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation | GBMF9067 |
| Horizon 2020 Framework Programme | 802952 |
| European Commission | |
| Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft | 443404566, 861/19 |
| Israel Science Foundation | 2178/17, 1686/18, 649/17 |