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Control of chiral orbital currents in a colossal magnetoresistance material

Author

Listed:
  • Yu Zhang

    (University of Colorado at Boulder)

  • Yifei Ni

    (University of Colorado at Boulder)

  • Hengdi Zhao

    (University of Colorado at Boulder)

  • Sami Hakani

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Feng Ye

    (Oak Ridge National Lab)

  • Lance DeLong

    (University of Kentucky)

  • Itamar Kimchi

    (Georgia Institute of Technology)

  • Gang Cao

    (University of Colorado at Boulder)

Abstract

Colossal magnetoresistance (CMR) is an extraordinary enhancement of the electrical conductivity in the presence of a magnetic field. It is conventionally associated with a field-induced spin polarization that drastically reduces spin scattering and electric resistance. Ferrimagnetic Mn3Si2Te6 is an intriguing exception to this rule: it exhibits a seven-order-of-magnitude reduction in ab plane resistivity that occurs only when a magnetic polarization is avoided1,2. Here, we report an exotic quantum state that is driven by ab plane chiral orbital currents (COC) flowing along edges of MnTe6 octahedra. The c axis orbital moments of ab plane COC couple to the ferrimagnetic Mn spins to drastically increase the ab plane conductivity (CMR) when an external magnetic field is aligned along the magnetic hard c axis. Consequently, COC-driven CMR is highly susceptible to small direct currents exceeding a critical threshold, and can induce a time-dependent, bistable switching that mimics a first-order ‘melting transition’ that is a hallmark of the COC state. The demonstrated current-control of COC-enabled CMR offers a new paradigm for quantum technologies.

Suggested Citation

  • Yu Zhang & Yifei Ni & Hengdi Zhao & Sami Hakani & Feng Ye & Lance DeLong & Itamar Kimchi & Gang Cao, 2022. "Control of chiral orbital currents in a colossal magnetoresistance material," Nature, Nature, vol. 611(7936), pages 467-472, November.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:611:y:2022:i:7936:d:10.1038_s41586-022-05262-3
    DOI: 10.1038/s41586-022-05262-3
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    Cited by:

    1. Yanhong Gu & Kevin A. Smith & Amartyajyoti Saha & Chandan De & Choong-jae Won & Yang Zhang & Ling-Fang Lin & Sang-Wook Cheong & Kristjan Haule & Mykhaylo Ozerov & Turan Birol & Christopher Homes & Elb, 2024. "Unconventional insulator-to-metal phase transition in Mn3Si2Te6," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-6, December.
    2. Resta A. Susilo & Chang Il Kwon & Yoonhan Lee & Nilesh P. Salke & Chandan De & Junho Seo & Beomtak Kang & Russell J. Hemley & Philip Dalladay-Simpson & Zifan Wang & Duck Young Kim & Kyoo Kim & Sang-Wo, 2024. "High-temperature concomitant metal-insulator and spin-reorientation transitions in a compressed nodal-line ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-8, December.
    3. Yu Zhang & Yifei Ni & Pedro Schlottmann & Rahul Nandkishore & Lance E. DeLong & Gang Cao, 2024. "Current-sensitive Hall effect in a chiral-orbital-current state," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-7, December.

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