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    Piezomagnetic effect on spin-orbit torque driven magnetization processes in Mn3Sn under epitaxial in-plane tensile strain: An atomistic spin modeling study

    B. C. Choi*, J. Qualter, and K. Bikouvaraki

    • *Contact author: bchoi@uvic.ca

    Phys. Rev. B 112, 094406 – Published 3 September, 2025

    DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/pfpv-8d96

    Abstract

    We investigate the influence of in-plane tensile strain on the magnetic ground state and spin-orbit torque (SOT)-driven magnetization processes in Mn3Sn thin films using atomistic spin modeling. Our study reveals that strain acts as a critical tuning parameter, inducing a transition from the E1g(Ax) to the E1g(Ay) magnetic structure beyond a threshold strain corresponding to a reduction of the exchange interaction |δJ|≈2%. This transition is significant as the E1g(Ay) state is expected to support a large anomalous Hall effect, enabling strain-controlled topological transport properties. Additionally, tensile strain breaks the symmetry between antiferromagnetic sublattices, leading to a piezomagnetically induced net magnetization that increases linearly with strain and is oriented perpendicular to the film plane. Under SOT excitation, Mn3Sn under strain exhibits sharp, deterministic switching of the cluster octupole moment with a reduced threshold current density, highlighting enhanced SOT efficiency. In contrast, the strain-free system shows intermediate chiral spin rotations during the switching of the octupole moment. Dynamic simulations further reveal current-density-dependent distinct precession modes, including a transient optical mode within a narrow current density range and ultrafast precessions reaching terahertz frequencies. These findings demonstrate the potential of strain engineering to tailor magnetic ground states and achieve low-energy, high-speed magnetization control in noncollinear antiferromagnets. The resulting functionalities offer promising avenues for scalable spintronic devices operating at terahertz frequencies.

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