High-temperature concomitant metal-insulator and spin-reorientation transitions in a compressed nodal-line ferrimagnet Mn3Si2Te6

• Published in: Nature communications 2024-05, Vol.15 (1), p.3998-8, Article 3998
• Main Authors: Susilo, Resta A., Kwon, Chang Il, Lee, Yoonhan, Salke, Nilesh P., De, Chandan, Seo, Junho, Kang, Beomtak, Hemley, Russell J., Dalladay-Simpson, Philip, Wang, Zifan, Kim, Duck Young, Kim, Kyoo, Cheong, Sang-Wook, Yeom, Han Woong, Kim, Kee Hoon, Kim, Jun Sung
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: 639/301/119/997; 639/766/119/995; electronic properties and materials; Electrons; External pressure; Ferrimagnets; Frustrated magnetism; High temperature; Humanities and Social Sciences; Insulators; Magnetic properties; magnetic properties and materials; Magnetic semiconductors; MATERIALS SCIENCE; Metal-insulator transition; multidisciplinary; Physics; Room temperature; Science; Science (multidisciplinary); Semiconductors; Spin-orbit interactions; Symmetry; Temperature; Topology
• ISSN: 2041-1723; 2041-1723
• DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-48432-9

Symmetry-protected band degeneracy, coupled with a magnetic order, is the key to realizing novel magnetoelectric phenomena in topological magnets. While the spin-polarized nodal states have been identified to introduce extremely-sensitive electronic responses to the magnetic states, their possible role in determining magnetic ground states has remained elusive. Here, taking external pressure as a control knob, we show that a metal-insulator transition, a spin-reorientation transition, and a structural modification occur concomitantly when the nodal-line state crosses the Fermi level in a ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 . These unique pressure-driven magnetic and electronic transitions, associated with the dome-shaped T c variation up to nearly room temperature, originate from the interplay between the spin-orbit coupling of the nodal-line state and magnetic frustration of localized spins. Our findings highlight that the nodal-line states, isolated from other trivial states, can facilitate strongly tunable magnetic properties in topological magnets. The coupling between topological electronic properties and magnetic order offers a promising route for magnetoelectric control with great potential for both applications and fundamental physics. Here, Susilo et al demonstrate the rich tunability of magnetic properties in nodal-line magnetic semiconductor Mn 3 Si 2 Te 6 using pressure as control knob.