Magnetism and topological Hall effect in antiferromagnetic Ru₂MnSn-based Heusler compounds

Authors

Wenyong Zhang, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Balamurugan Balasubramanian, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Yang Sun, Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University
Ahsan Ullah, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Ralph Skomski, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Rabindra Pahari, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow
Shah R. Valloppilly, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Xingzhong Li, University of Nebraska-LincolnFollow
Cai-Zhuang Wang, Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University
Kai-Ming Ho, Ames Laboratory, U.S. Department of Energy and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Iowa State University
David J. Sellmyer, University of Nebraska - LincolnFollow

Date of this Version

5-13-2021

Citation

Published in Journal of Magnetism and Magnetic Materials 537 (2021) 168104

doi:10.1016/j.jmmm.2021.168104

Comments

Copyright © 2021 Elsevier B.V. Used by permission.

Abstract

Heusler compounds and alloys based on them are of great recent interest because they exhibit a wide variety of spin structures, magnetic properties, and electron-transport phenomena. Their properties are tunable by alloying and we have investigated L2₁-ordered compound Ru₂MnSn and its alloys by varying the atomic Mn:Sn composition. While antiferromagnetic ordering with a Néel temperature of 361 K was observed in Ru₂MnSn, the Mn-poor Ru₂Mn_0.8Sn_1.2 alloy exhibits properties of a diluted antiferromagnet in which there are localized regions of uncompensated Mn spins. Furthermore, a noncoplanar spin structure, evident from a topological Hall-effect contribution to the room-temperature Hall resistivity, is realized in Ru₂Mn_0.8Sn_1.2. Our combined experimental and theoretical analysis shows that in the Ru₂Mn_0.8Sn_1.2 alloy, the magnetic properties can be explained in terms of a noncoplanar antiferromagnetic scissor mode, which creates a small net magnetization in a magnetic field and subsequently yields a Berry curvature with a strong topological Hall effect.