Spin-Mechanical Coupling in 2D Antiferromagnet CrSBr

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Spintronics

Background:

• Spin-mechanical coupling is crucial for spintronics, sensing, and quantum transduction.
• Two-dimensional (2D) magnetic materials offer unique properties for studying this coupling due to their flexibility and spin orderings.
• Probing nanoscale mechanical deformation and thermodynamic changes in these materials remains challenging.

Purpose of the Study:

• To mechanically detect phase transitions and magnetostriction in multilayer CrSBr using nano-optoelectromechanical interferometry.
• To quantify the spin-mechanical coupling effects, including magnetostriction coefficient and magnetoelastic coupling strength.
• To investigate the tunability of magnetoelastic properties through gate-induced strain.

Main Methods:

• Utilized nano-optoelectromechanical interferometry for nanoscale mechanical detection.
• Investigated multilayer CrSBr, an air-stable antiferromagnet with significant magnon-exciton coupling.
• Applied gate-induced strain to tune magnetoelastic properties.

Main Results:

• Successfully visualized transitions between antiferromagnetic, spin-canted ferromagnetic, and paramagnetic states.
• Quantified a nontrivial magnetostriction coefficient of 2.3 × 10^-5.
• Determined magnetoelastic coupling strength on the order of 10⁶ J/m³.
• Demonstrated nearly 50% tunability of the magnetoelastic constant via gate-induced strain.

Conclusions:

• Confirmed strong spin-mechanical coupling in CrSBr.
• The findings highlight CrSBr as a promising material for advanced spintronic devices.
• Paved the way for developing highly sensitive magnetic sensors and efficient quantum transducers at the atomically thin limit.