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Direct visualization and control of antiferromagnetic domains and spin reorientation in a parent cuprate

K. L. Seyler1,2, A. Ron1,2,3, D. Van Beveren1,2, C. R. Rotundu4, Y. S. Lee4,5, and D. Hsieh1,2

  • 1Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 2Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 3Raymond and Beverly Sackler School of Physics and Astronomy, Tel-Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
  • 4Stanford Institute for Materials and Energy Sciences, SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, 2575 Sand Hill Road, Menlo Park, California 94025, USA
  • 5Department of Applied Physics, Stanford University, Stanford, California 94305, USA

Phys. Rev. B 106, L140403 – Published 12 October, 2022

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.106.L140403

Abstract

We report magnetic optical second-harmonic generation (SHG) polarimetry and imaging on Sr2Cu3O4Cl2, which allows direct visualization of the mesoscopic antiferromagnetic (AFM) structure of a parent cuprate. Temperature- and magnetic-field-dependent SHG reveals large domains with 90∘ relative orientations that are stabilized by a combination of uniaxial magnetic anisotropy and the Earth's magnetic field. Below a temperature TR ∼ 97 K, we observe an unusual 90∘ spin-reorientation transition, possibly driven by competing magnetic anisotropies of the two copper sublattices, which swaps the AFM domain states while preserving the domain structure. This allows deterministic switching of the AFM states by thermal or laser heating. Near TR, the domain walls become exceptionally responsive to an applied magnetic field, with the Earth's field sufficient to completely expel them from the crystal. Our findings unlock opportunities to study the mesoscopic AFM behavior of parent cuprates and explore their potential for AFM technologies.

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