Revealing the ultra-fast domain wall motion in Manganese Gold through permalloy capping

Abstract

Antiferromagnets offer much faster dynamics compared to their ferromagnetic counterparts but their order parameter is extremely difficult to detect and control. So far, controlling the N\'eel order parameter electrically is limited to only very few materials where N\'eel spin-orbit torques are allowed by symmetry. In this work, we show that coupling a thin ferromagnet (permalloy) layer on top of an antiferromagnet (Mn$_2$Au) solves a major roadblock -- the controlled reading, writing, and manipulation of antiferromagnetic domains. We confirm by atomistic spin dynamics simulations that the domain wall patterns in the Mn$_2$Au are imprinted on the permalloy, therefore allowing for indirect imaging of the N\'eel order parameter. Our simulations show that the coupled domain wall structures in Mn$_2$Au-Py bilayers can be manipulated by either acting on the N\'eel order parameter via N\'eel spin-orbit torques or by acting on the magnetisation (the ferromagnetic order parameter) via magnetic fields. In both cases, we predict ultra-high domain wall speeds on the order of 8.5 km/s. Thus, employing a thin ferromagnetic layer has the potential to easily control the N\'eel order parameter in antiferromagnets even where N\'eel spin-orbit torques are forbidden by symmetry. The controlled manipulation of the antiferromagnetic order parameter provides a promising basis for the development of high-density storage and efficient computing technologies working in the THz regime.