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Updated: Oct 25, 2025
09:06
Visualizing Uniaxial-strain Manipulation of Antiferromagnetic Domains in Fe1+YTe Using a Spin-polarized Scanning Tunneling Microscope
Published on: March 24, 2019
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Dynamic Symmetry Breaking in Chiral Magnetic Systems
Jeffrey A Brock1, Michael D Kitcher2, Pierre Vallobra1,3
1Center for Memory and Recording Research, University of California - San Diego, La Jolla, 92093, USA.
Advanced Materials (Deerfield Beach, Fla.)
|August 7, 2021
Summary
The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction stabilizes chiral Néel-type domain walls. A new effect shows unidirectional domain expansion controlled by magnetic fields, revealing dynamic symmetry breaking in magnetic systems.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Spintronics
Background:
- The Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction (DMI) is crucial for stabilizing chiral spin textures in magnetic systems.
- Interfacial DMI in heavy-metal/ferromagnet films promotes Néel-type domain walls (DWs), but their dynamics are not fully understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To characterize a novel effect of unidirectional domain expansion in response to combined magnetic fields.
- To theoretically explain the observed domain growth directionalities and symmetries.
Main Methods:
- Experimental characterization of domain expansion dynamics under out-of-plane and in-plane magnetic fields.
- Theoretical modeling demonstrating the role of perpendicular field torques in stabilizing asymmetric magnetization profiles.
Main Results:
- Observed unidirectional domain expansion whose direction is controlled by in-plane magnetic field strength.
- Theoretical validation of dynamic symmetry breaking through field-induced torques stabilizing asymmetric elastic energy profiles.
Conclusions:
- The study reveals a new mechanism for controlling chiral Néel-type domain wall dynamics.
- Field-driven domain wall motion can be utilized to probe and control chiral domain walls, with implications for memory and computing.
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