# Symmetry analysis of current-induced switching of antiferromagnets

## TL;DR

This paper provides a symmetry-based framework for understanding and controlling electrically switchable antiferromagnets, linking their behavior to ferrotoroidic order and enabling improved manipulation techniques.

## Contribution

It introduces a group-theoretical symmetry analysis that relates switchable antiferromagnets to ferrotoroidic order, offering a new criterion for their controllability.

## Key findings

- Identifies the relation between switchable antiferromagnets and ferrotoroidic order.
- Provides a symmetry-based criterion for antiferromagnet controllability.
- Suggests a scheme for reliable writing and reading of antiferromagnetic states.

## Abstract

Antiferromagnets are robust to external electric and magnetic fields, and hence are seemingly uncontrollable. Recent studies, however, realized the electrical manipulations of antiferromagnets by virtue of the antiferromagnetic Edelstein effect. We present a general symmetry analysis of electrically switchable antiferromagnets based on group-theoretical approaches. Furthermore, we identify a direct relation between switchable antiferromagnets and the ferrotoroidic order. The concept of the ferrotoroidic order clarifies the unidirectional nature of switchable antiferromagnets and provides a criterion for the controllability of antiferromagnets. The scheme paves a way for perfect writing and reading of switchable antiferromagnets.