title: Electrical switching of an antiferromagnet.
abstract: Antiferromagnets are hard to control by external magnetic fields because of the alternating directions of magnetic moments on individual atoms and the resulting zero net magnetization. However, relativistic quantum mechanics allows for generating current-induced internal fields whose sign alternates with the periodicity of the antiferromagnetic lattice. Using these fields, which couple strongly to the antiferromagnetic order, we demonstrate room-temperature electrical switching between stable configurations in antiferromagnetic CuMnAs thin-film devices by applied current with magnitudes of order 10(6) ampere per square centimeter. Electrical writing is combined in our solid-state memory with electrical readout and the stored magnetic state is insensitive to and produces no external magnetic field perturbations, which illustrates the unique merits of antiferromagnets for spintronics.
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. peter.wadley@nottingham.ac.uk.
authors: P
authors: P
authors: Wadley
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: B
authors: B
authors: Howells
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic. Faculty of Mathematics and Physics, Charles University, Ke Karlovu 3, 121 16 Prague 2, Czech Republic.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Železný
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: C
authors: C
authors: Andrews
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Hills
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: R P
authors: RP
authors: Campion
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors: V
authors: V
authors: Novák
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Olejník
authors: Diamond Light Source, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Maccherozzi
authors: Diamond Light Source, Chilton, Didcot, Oxfordshire, OX11 0DE, UK.
authors: S S
authors: SS
authors: Dhesi
authors: Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
authors: S Y
authors: SY
authors: Martin
authors: Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK. Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Wagner
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic. Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, UK.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Wunderlich
authors: Peter Grünberg Institut and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich and JARA, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors: F
authors: F
authors: Freimuth
authors: Peter Grünberg Institut and Institute for Advanced Simulation, Forschungszentrum Jülich and JARA, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Mokrousov
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Na Slovance 2, 182 21 Praha 8, Czech Republic.
authors: J
authors: J
authors: Kuneš
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: J S
authors: JS
authors: Chauhan
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK. Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, al. Lotnikow 32/46, PL-02-668 Warsaw, Poland.
authors: M J
authors: MJ
authors: Grzybowski
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: A W
authors: AW
authors: Rushforth
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: K W
authors: KW
authors: Edmonds
authors: School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: B L
authors: BL
authors: Gallagher
authors: Institute of Physics, Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic, Cukrovarnická 10, 162 00 Praha 6, Czech Republic. School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Nottingham, Nottingham NG7 2RD, UK.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Jungwirth