Magnetic field tuning of the spin dynamics in the magnetic topological insulators (MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$)(Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$)$_{n}$

TL;DR

This study uses high-frequency electron spin resonance to explore how magnetic fields influence spin dynamics in magnetic topological insulators MnBi2Te4 and MnBi4Te7, revealing field-induced magnetic state transitions and inherent ferromagnetic correlations.

Contribution

It provides the first detailed analysis of field-tuned spin dynamics in these materials, showing a crossover from antiferromagnetic to ferromagnetic resonance modes under high magnetic fields.

Findings

Field stronger than 6 T induces a crossover from AFM to FM resonance modes in MnBi2Te4.

Spin dynamics of Mn-based septuple layers are inherently ferromagnetic with short-range correlations.

The magnetic behavior is sensitive to interlayer coupling and external magnetic fields.

Abstract

We report a high frequency/high magnetic field electron spin resonance (HF-ESR) spectroscopy study in the sub-THz frequency domain of the two representatives of the family of magnetic topological insulators (MnBi$_{2}$Te$_{4}$)(Bi$_{2}$Te$_{3}$)$_{n}$ with $n = 0$ and 1. The HF-ESR measurements in the magnetically ordered state at a low temperature of $T = 4$ K combined with the calculations of the resonance modes showed that the spin dynamics in MnBi$_{\text{4}}$Te$_{\text{7}}$ is typical for an anisotropic easy-axis type ferromagnet (FM) whereas MnBi$_{\text{2}}$Te$_{\text{4}}$ demonstrates excitations of an anisotropic easy-axis type antiferromagnet (AFM). However, by applying the field stronger than a threshold value $\sim 6$ T we observed in MnBi$_{\text{2}}$Te$_{\text{4}}$ a crossover from the AFM resonance modes to the FM modes which properties are very similar to the ferromagnetic response of MnBi$_{\text{4}}$Te$_{\text{7}}$. We attribute this remarkably unusual effect unexpected for a canonical easy-axis AFM, which, additionally, can be accurately reproduced by numerical calculations of the excitation modes, to the closeness of the strength of the AFM exchange and magnetic anisotropy energies which appears to be a very specific feature of this compound. Our experimental data evidences that the spin dynamics of the magnetic building blocks of these compounds, the Mn-based septuple layers (SLs), is inherently ferromagnetic featuring persisting short-range FM correlations far above the magnetic ordering temperature as soon as the SLs get decoupled either by introducing a nonmagnetic quintuple interlayer, as in MnBi$_{\text{4}}$Te$_{\text{7}}$, or by applying a moderate magnetic field, as in MnBi$_{\text{2}}$Te$_{\text{4}}$, which may have an effect on the surface topological band structure of these compounds.