Microscopic and Macroscopic Signatures of Antiferromagnetic Domain Walls

TL;DR

This study investigates how antiferromagnetic domain walls in Cr influence electron transport, combining magnetotransport measurements with x-ray imaging to reveal microscopic and macroscopic signatures.

Contribution

It provides the first direct correlation between domain structure evolution and transport properties in antiferromagnetic Cr, quantifying domain wall interface resistance.

Findings

Domain walls affect electron transport in Cr.

Measured domain wall interface resistance is approximately 5×10^{-5} μΩ·cm² at 100 K.

Hysteretic thermodynamics of domain structure observed.

Abstract

Magnetotransport measurements on small single crystals of Cr, the elemental antiferromagnet, reveal the hysteretic thermodynamics of the domain structure. The temperature dependence of the transport coefficients is directly correlated with the real-space evolution of the domain configuration as recorded by x-ray microprobe imaging, revealing the effect of antiferromagnetic domain walls on electron transport. A single antiferromagnetic domain wall interface resistance is deduced to be of order $5\times10^{-5}\mathrm{\mu\Omega\cdot cm^{2}}$ at a temperature of 100 K.