Phys.org April 6, 2020
There are only very few examples where the topology of the electronic bands is connected in a well-defined manner to the magnetic properties of the materials. One material in which such interplay between topological electronic states and magnetism has been observed is CaMnBi2, but the mechanism connecting the two remained unclear. An international team of researchers (Switzerland, Germany, China, USA – Brookhaven National Laboratory, Stony Brook University) report a comprehensive study providing clear evidence that a slight nudge on the magnetic moments, known as spin canting, provokes substantial changes in the electronic band structure. These findings open the door to exploring the electronic properties of CaMnBi2 and related compounds, as well as the possibilities arising from the connection between magnetic properties and topological states in these intriguing forms of matter…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE 1 , 2 ,
Antiferromagnetic (top) and canted-antiferromagnetic order (bottom). In the latter case the spins are canted relative to the easy c-axis, leading to a ferromagnetic contribution in the plane orthogonal to that axis (represented by green arrows). Credit: ETH Zurich/D-PHY