Probing ultraweak in-plane magnetic anisotropy within a two-dimensional layered antiferromagnet
Year: 2025
Type: article
Abstract: Magnetic anisotropy plays a crucial role in determining the critical behavior and phase transitions in two-dimensional magnetic systems. It is also required for the design of thin-film spintronic devices. Despite its significance, sensing extremely weak anisotropy has proven challenging in van der Waals antiferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic materials. Here, we first employ simulations of micromagnetic energy function in few-layer easy-plane antiferromagnetic systems with a weak additional uniaxial anisotropy and unveil an intriguing even–odd effect closely linked to low-field spin–flop behaviors. We further perform tunneling magneto-conductance measurements on a model 2D antiferromagnetic insulator, CrCl 3 , exhibiting near-ideal easy-plane anisotropy. The magnetic field-controlled tunneling current at low temperature aligns well with simulated in-plane anisotropic spin-configuration, providing direct experimental evidence for detecting magnetic anisotropy field around 1 mT. Our work creates opportunities for finely characterizing magnetic structures and behaviors in 2D antiferromagnetic/ferrimagnetic systems, with potential applications in spintronics such as data storage and magnetic sensing.
Language: English
Subfield: Atomic and Molecular Physics, and Optics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: hybrid
Funders: National Natural Science Foundation of China, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, University of Electronic Science and Technology of China, National Key Laboratory of Electronic Thin Films and Integrated Devices, National Institute for Materials Science, National Key Research and Development Program of China
OpenAlex ID: W4409263194