Abstract
Non-collinear antiferromagnets, such as Mn3Sn, stand out for their topological properties and potential in antiferromagnetic spintronics. This emerging field aims at harnessing ultrafast magnetization dynamics of antiferromagnets through spin torques. Here we report the time-resolved dynamics of Mn3Sn on a picosecond timescale, driven by an optically induced spin current pulse. Our results reveal that the magnetization of Mn3Sn tilts immediately after the spin current pulse and subsequently undergoes 70 GHz precession. This immediate tilting underscores the predominant role of damping-like torque stemming from spin current absorption by Mn3Sn. We also determine the spin coherence length of Mn3Sn to be approximately 15 nm. This value substantially exceeds that of ferromagnets, highlighting a distinct spin-dephasing process in non-collinear antiferromagnets. Our results hold promise for ultrafast applications of non-collinear antiferromagnets and enrich our understanding of their spin-transfer physics.
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All other data supporting the findings of this study are available from the corresponding authors. Source data are provided with this paper.
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Acknowledgements
G.-M.C. was supported by the National Foundation of Korea (2022R1A2C1006504 and RS-2024-00410027). Device fabrication was supported by Advanced Facility Center for Quantum Technology at Sungkyunkwan University. K.-J.L acknowledges financial support from the National Foundation of Korea (2020R1A2C3013302, 2022M3H4A1A04096339 and 2022M3I7A2079267) and Samsung Electronics. B.-G.P. was supported by the National Foundation of Korea (2022R1A4A1031349).
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G.-M.C. and K.-J.L. supervised the study. W.-B.L. fabricated samples and performed the optical measurement and analysis with the help of G.-M.C. and B.-G.P. H.-W.K. and S.H. carried out theoretical calculations for spin coherence length with the help of K.-J.L. W.-B.L., K.-J.L. and G.-M.C. wrote the paper.
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Extended data
Extended Data Fig. 1 Cross-sectional STEM images and EDS mapping of the samples.
a, b, STEM image of a Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(10), and b Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(20) samples. c, d, EDS mapping image of c Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(10), and d Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(20) samples. The composition ratios of 10 nm, 20nm-thick Mn3Sn samples are Mn3.07Sn0.93, and Mn3.08Sn0.92, respectively.
Extended Data Fig. 2 Roughness measurements of Pt/Mn3Sn samples.
a-c X-ray reflectometry (XRR) scans of a Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(5), b Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(10), and c Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(15) samples. d Roughness of Pt/Mn3Sn samples obtained from the atomic force microscopy (AFM), and XRR scans. AFM data points are represented as mean value ± standard deviation of the five times repeated measurements.
Extended Data Fig. 3 Electrical properties of Pt/Mn3Sn samples.
a, Resistivity R, and b, dR/dT of Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(5), Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(10), and Pt(5)/Mn3Sn(15) samples as a function of temperature T from 6 K to 325 K. These results support that the electrical properties of Mn3Sn do not exhibit a noticeable thickness dependence.
Extended Data Fig. 4 Static longitudinal MOKE measurement of Mn3Sn and Co.
a, Static longitudinal MOKE measurement setup with a lens. The laser is incident parallel to the x-axis but offset by 2 mm from the center of the lens. Then, the laser is focused on the sample with a fixed oblique angle of 20°, determined by the numerical aperture of the lens. b, Static Kerr rotation of Pt/Mn3Sn samples according to the external magnetic field. c,d Static Kerr rotation of c Mn3Sn and d Co as a function of thickness. Data points of c,d are represented as mean value ± standard deviation of the five times repeated measurements.
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Supplementary Notes 1–8 and Figs. 1–7.
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Lee, WB., Hwang, S., Ko, HW. et al. Spin-torque-driven gigahertz magnetization dynamics in the non-collinear antiferromagnet Mn3Sn. Nat. Nanotechnol. 20, 487–493 (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-01859-7
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41565-025-01859-7
