Center for Artificial Low Dimensional Electronic Systems

Transport in Strong Spin-Orbit Coupled Antiferromagnets

Joseph G. Checkelsky

April 13(Thu) - April 13(Thu), 2017

Transport in Strong Spin-Orbit Coupled Antiferromagnets

Joseph G. Checkelsky

Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Department of Physics (Assistant professor)

The combination of strong spin-orbit coupling and magnetism gives rise to unusual electronic behavior ranging from magnetically driven quantum Hall states to spin torque effects.  Here we focus on the combination of strong-spin orbit effects and rare-earth based antiferromagnetic conductors.  The low energy scale for manipulation of magnetism in these systems allows for the control of the antiferromagnetic ground state which in turn has a strong influence on the electronic structure and properties.  In particular, in half-Heusler materials we find evidence for a Berry phase driven Hall effect in the non-collinear structure and in a rock-salt structures an orbitally driven magnetoresistance that can be either strongly positive or negative [1].  We comment on the connections to recent discussion of topological ground states in these systems and the ground state control they exhibit.

1.      T. Suzuki, R. Chisnell, A. Devarakonda, Y.-T. Liu, W. Feng, D. Xiao,  J. W. Lynn and J. G. Checkelsky.  Nature Physics 12, 1119-1123 (2016).