Atomic-Scale Visualization of Magnetic Phase Evolution in GdTe₃

Gadolinium tritelluride (GdTe₃) is a van der Waals antiferromagnet that has been extensively studied due to its high mobility, incommensurate charge density wave, and pressure-induced superconductivity. However, some aspects of this material’s properties are still not well understood. For example, although it is known that the spins in GdTe₃ are oriented in plane at low temperature, the precise nature of the AFM ordering is not known. We use spin-polarized STM to visualize the AFM ordering in GdTe₃ at the atomic scale. We also study the evolution of the AFM and CDW orders with temperature to probe the low-temperature phase transitions. Our findings support the picture presented in a recent magnetic susceptibility and specific heat study of this material, which suggested that a canted AFM order with a small ferromagnetic component emerges between 7 and 10 K.