Magneto-crystalline anisotropy of antiferromagnetic ErMn₆Sn₆

Antiferromagnetic (AFM) materials are better candidates than ferromagnetic (FM) counterparts for information storage due to the faster switching rate and the inability to affect neighboring domains. Magneto-crystalline anisotropy (MCA) describes the anisotropic magnetic response of a crystalline material along different crystallographic directions. This energy anisotropy can be utilized for potential information storage. Materials with an in-plane magnetic structure are preferred due to the ease of magnetic switching. In this study, a kagome intermetallic compound ErMn₆Sn₆ is investigated. After verifying the crystalline structure and magnetic properties, the ab-plane MCA is studied from torque magnetometry measurements. It is found that ErMn₆Sn₆ shows a 6-fold ab-plane torque symmetry, demonstrating the capability of controlling the ab-plane magnetic structure by external field, and thus the capability for information writing. Anisotropic magneto-resistance (AMR) measurements showed a 6-fold symmetry in ab-plane as well, demonstrating the information reading capability. This study serves as a successful example of utilization of existing materials for information storage with in-plane MCA.