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Title: Competing Magnetic Interactions in the Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4

Abstract

The antiferromagnetic (AFM) compound MnBi2Te4 is suggested to be the first realization of an AFM topological insulator. Here, we report on inelastic neutron scattering studies of the magnetic interactions in MnBi2Te4 that possess ferromagnetic triangular layers with AFM interlayer coupling. The spin waves display a large spin gap and pairwise exchange interactions within the triangular layer are long ranged and frustrated by large next-nearest neighbor AFM exchange. The degree of frustration suggests proximity to a variety of magnetic phases, potentially including skyrmion phases, which could be accessed in chemically tuned compounds or upon the application of symmetry-breaking fields.

Authors:
 [1];  [2];  [2];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1];  [3];  [3]; ORCiD logo [1]; ORCiD logo [1];  [1]
  1. Ames Lab., and Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA (United States)
  2. Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States)
  3. Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States)
Publication Date:
Research Org.:
Oak Ridge National Lab. (ORNL), Oak Ridge, TN (United States). Spallation Neutron Source (SNS); Ames Lab., Ames, IA (United States); Lawrence Berkeley National Lab. (LBNL), Berkeley, CA (United States). National Energy Research Scientific Computing Center (NERSC)
Sponsoring Org.:
USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES). Materials Sciences & Engineering Division; USDOE Office of Science (SC), Basic Energy Sciences (BES)
OSTI Identifier:
1649056
Alternate Identifier(s):
OSTI ID: 1615714
Grant/Contract Number:  
AC05-00OR22725; AC02-07CH11358; AC02-05CH11231
Resource Type:
Accepted Manuscript
Journal Name:
Physical Review Letters
Additional Journal Information:
Journal Volume: 124; Journal Issue: 16; Journal ID: ISSN 0031-9007
Publisher:
American Physical Society (APS)
Country of Publication:
United States
Language:
English
Subject:
36 MATERIALS SCIENCE; Frustrated magnetism; Physical Systems; Topological insulators

Citation Formats

Li, Bing, Yan, J.-Q., Pajerowski, D.  M., Gordon, Elijah, Nedić, A.-M., Sizyuk, Y., Ke, Liqin, Orth, P.  P., Vaknin, D., and McQueeney, R.  J. Competing Magnetic Interactions in the Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4. United States: N. p., 2020. Web. doi:10.1103/physrevlett.124.167204.
Li, Bing, Yan, J.-Q., Pajerowski, D.  M., Gordon, Elijah, Nedić, A.-M., Sizyuk, Y., Ke, Liqin, Orth, P.  P., Vaknin, D., & McQueeney, R.  J. Competing Magnetic Interactions in the Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4. United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.124.167204
Li, Bing, Yan, J.-Q., Pajerowski, D.  M., Gordon, Elijah, Nedić, A.-M., Sizyuk, Y., Ke, Liqin, Orth, P.  P., Vaknin, D., and McQueeney, R.  J. Wed . "Competing Magnetic Interactions in the Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4". United States. https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.124.167204. https://www.osti.gov/servlets/purl/1649056.
@article{osti_1649056,
title = {Competing Magnetic Interactions in the Antiferromagnetic Topological Insulator MnBi2Te4},
author = {Li, Bing and Yan, J.-Q. and Pajerowski, D.  M. and Gordon, Elijah and Nedić, A.-M. and Sizyuk, Y. and Ke, Liqin and Orth, P.  P. and Vaknin, D. and McQueeney, R.  J.},
abstractNote = {The antiferromagnetic (AFM) compound MnBi2Te4 is suggested to be the first realization of an AFM topological insulator. Here, we report on inelastic neutron scattering studies of the magnetic interactions in MnBi2Te4 that possess ferromagnetic triangular layers with AFM interlayer coupling. The spin waves display a large spin gap and pairwise exchange interactions within the triangular layer are long ranged and frustrated by large next-nearest neighbor AFM exchange. The degree of frustration suggests proximity to a variety of magnetic phases, potentially including skyrmion phases, which could be accessed in chemically tuned compounds or upon the application of symmetry-breaking fields.},
doi = {10.1103/physrevlett.124.167204},
journal = {Physical Review Letters},
number = 16,
volume = 124,
place = {United States},
year = {Wed Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2020},
month = {Wed Apr 22 00:00:00 EDT 2020}
}

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