# Magnetoelectric Response of Antiferromagnetic Van der Waals Bilayers

## TL;DR

This paper predicts a significant magnetoelectric response in antiferromagnetic van der Waals bilayers, like bilayer CrI3, which can be experimentally detected through various magneto-optical and electronic measurements, with effects tunable by electric fields and pressure.

## Contribution

It introduces the prediction of a strong, measurable magnetoelectric effect in vdW antiferromagnetic bilayers and discusses the influence of electric fields and pressure on magnetic interactions.

## Key findings

- Strong magnetoelectric effects are predicted in vdW bilayers.
- Detection methods include Faraday/Kerr rotation, magnetization, and Hall conductivity.
- Electric fields and pressure significantly influence magnetic interactions.

## Abstract

We predict that antiferromagnetic bilayers formed from van der Waals (vdW) materials, like bilayer CrI$_3$, have a strong magnetoelectric response that can be detected by measuring the gate voltage dependence of Faraday or Kerr rotation signals, total magnetization, or anomalous Hall conductivity. Strong effects are possible in single-gate geometries, and in dual-gate geometries that allow internal electric fields and total carrier densities to be varied independently. We comment on the reliability of density-functional-theory estimates of interlayer magnetic interactions in van der Waals bilayers, and on the sensitivity of magnetic interactions to pressure that alters the spatial separation between layers.