Sub-domain structure in a single crystal of the magnetic topological insulator MnSb2Te4

Abstract

The domain structure of a MnSb$_2$Te$_4$ single crystal with a Curie temperature $T_C \approx 45~K$ was studied using the high-resolution Bitter decoration technique. Magnetotransport measurements confirm a soft ferromagnetic ordering with a coercive field of $ \sim 100$ Oe. We revealed the formation of a hierarchical domain structure characterized by two distinct spatial scales. These results indicate the existence of two magnetically weakly coupled subsystems -- surface and bulk. The observed sub-domain structure can be attributed to the formation of a ferromagnetic well due to an inhomogeneous distribution of $\mathrm{Mn_{Sb}}$ antisite defects, with an additional contribution from symmetry breaking in the near-surface layer.