Scholarlink

<p>The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), the differential reflection of oppositely circularly polarized light, has traditionally been associated with relativistic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which links a particle’s spin with its orbital motion. In ferromagnets, large MOKE signals arise from the combination of magnetization and SOC, while in certain coplanar antiferromagnets, SOC-induced Berry curvature enables MOKE despite zero net magnetization. Theoretically, large MOKE can also arise in a broader class of magnetic materials with compensated spins, without relying on SOC - for example, in systems exhibiting real-space scalar spin chirality. The experimental verification has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate such a SOC- and magnetization-free MOKE in the noncoplanar antiferromagnet Co<sub>1/3</sub>TaS<sub>2</sub>. Using a Sagnac interferometer microscope, we image domains of scalar spin chirality and their reversal. Our findings establish experimentally a new mechanism for generating large MOKE signals and position chiral spin textures in compensated magnets as a compelling platform for ultrafast, stray-field-immune opto-spintronic applications.</p>

错误：搜索内容不能为空，请输入英文关键词
错误：关键词超出字数限制，请精简
高级检索

Topological magneto-optical Kerr effect without spin-orbit coupling in spin-compensated antiferromagnet

  • 期刊论文

  • 出版模式：

    开放获取

  • 发表日期：

    2026年3月3日

查看全文
  • Camron Farhang,
  • Weihang Lu,
  • Kai Du,
  • Yunpeng Gao,
  • Junjie Yang,
  • Sang-Wook Cheong,
  • Jing Xia

摘要

The magneto-optical Kerr effect (MOKE), the differential reflection of oppositely circularly polarized light, has traditionally been associated with relativistic spin-orbit coupling (SOC), which links a particle’s spin with its orbital motion. In ferromagnets, large MOKE signals arise from the combination of magnetization and SOC, while in certain coplanar antiferromagnets, SOC-induced Berry curvature enables MOKE despite zero net magnetization. Theoretically, large MOKE can also arise in a broader class of magnetic materials with compensated spins, without relying on SOC - for example, in systems exhibiting real-space scalar spin chirality. The experimental verification has remained elusive. Here, we demonstrate such a SOC- and magnetization-free MOKE in the noncoplanar antiferromagnet Co1/3TaS2. Using a Sagnac interferometer microscope, we image domains of scalar spin chirality and their reversal. Our findings establish experimentally a new mechanism for generating large MOKE signals and position chiral spin textures in compensated magnets as a compelling platform for ultrafast, stray-field-immune opto-spintronic applications.