How to manipulate magnetic states of antiferromagnets

TL;DR

This review discusses four main methods—magnetic, strain, electrical, and optical—to manipulate the magnetic states of antiferromagnets, highlighting their potential for ultrafast and practical spintronic applications.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of the intrinsic mechanisms and control techniques for antiferromagnetic materials, advancing understanding in antiferromagnetic spintronics.

Findings

Four main control methods for antiferromagnets are detailed.

Electrical control methods are practical for applications.

Optical methods enable ultrafast magnetic manipulation.

Abstract

Antiferromagnetic materials, which have drawn considerable attention recently, have fascinating features: they are robust against perturbation, produce no stray fields, and exhibit ultrafast dynamics. Discerning how to efficiently manipulate the magnetic state of an antiferromagnet is key to the development of antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this review, we introduce four main methods (magnetic, strain, electrical, and optical) to mediate the magnetic states and elaborate on intrinsic origins of different antiferromagnetic materials. Magnetic control includes a strong magnetic field, exchange bias, and field cooling, which are traditional and basic. Strain control involves the magnetic anisotropy effect or metamagnetic transition. Electrical control can be divided into two parts, electric field and electric current, both of which are convenient for practical applications. Optical control includes thermal and electronic excitation, an inertia-driven mechanism, and terahertz laser control, with the potential for ultrafast antiferromagnetic manipulation. This review sheds light on effective usage of antiferromagnets and provides a new perspective on antiferromagnetic spintronics.