Jack Grummer, “Investigating antiferromagnetic domains in Dirac semimetal Fe_1-xCo_xSn with x = 0.03″
Mentor: Min Gyu Kim, Physics
Poster #:163

How the behavior of magnetic domains changes with temperature plays a very important role in the determining of the magnetic properties of materials. Furthermore, AFM domains play an important role in the development of novel electronics, influencing the operational speed and stability. Despite being so important, there is very little information on the dynamics of antiferromagnetic domains. This is because of the lack of technique that can visualize AFM domains. However there are candidate materials that would show exciting domain dynamics, such as our sample, cobalt doped FeSn. Imaging experiments have already been done on our sample, Fe_1-xCo_xSn, x=0.03, that indicate our sample contains interesting temperature dependent AFM domains that required further imaging. This further imaging is carried out at Brookhaven National Laboratory at their NSLS II facility. Here, we processed our imaging data and present temperature dependent AFM domain formation. Our results indicate that the AFM domain forms distinctively different during warming and cooling, showing large thermal hysteresis. Such large thermal hysteresis is exciting considering that the magnetic phase transitions are second order in nature. Such hysteretic behavior can be useful to manipulate data storage in antiferromagnetic materials – data can be erased without destroying antiferromagnetic state. Our study will further help enhance our understanding of spintronics and manipulation of AFM domains.