• Rapid Communication

Magnetic structure of GdBiPt: A candidate antiferromagnetic topological insulator

R. A. Müller, N. R. Lee-Hone, L. Lapointe, D. H. Ryan, T. Pereg-Barnea, A. D. Bianchi, Y. Mozharivskyj, and R. Flacau
Phys. Rev. B 90, 041109(R) – Published 28 July 2014
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

A topological insulator is a state of matter which does not break any symmetry and is characterized by topological invariants, the integer expectation values of nonlocal operators. Antiferromagnetism, on the other hand, is a broken symmetry state in which the translation symmetry is reduced and time reversal symmetry is broken. Can these two phenomena coexist in the same material? A proposal by Mong et al. [Phys. Rev. B 81, 245209 (2010)] asserts that the answer is yes. Moreover, it is theoretically possible that the onset of antiferromagnetism enables the nontrivial topology since it may create spin-orbit coupling effects which are absent in the nonmagnetic phase. The current work examines a real system, half-Heusler GdBiPt, as a candidate for topological antiferromagnetism. We find that the magnetic moments of the gadolinium atoms form ferromagnetic sheets which are stacked antiferromagnetically along the body diagonal. This magnetic structure may induce spin-orbit coupling on band electrons as they hop perpendicular to the ferromagnetic sheets.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 30 January 2014

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.90.041109

©2014 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

R. A. Müller1, N. R. Lee-Hone2, L. Lapointe1, D. H. Ryan2, T. Pereg-Barnea2, A. D. Bianchi1, Y. Mozharivskyj3, and R. Flacau4

  • 1Département de Physique, Université de Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada*
  • 2Department of Physics, McGill University, 3600 University St., Montréal, QC, Canada*
  • 3Department of Chemistry and Chemical Biology McMaster University, Hamilton, ON, Canada
  • 4Canadian Neutron Beam Centre, Chalk River Laboratories, ON, Canada

  • *Also at Regroupement Québécois sur les Matériaux de Pointe (RQMP).

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 90, Iss. 4 — 15 July 2014

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review B

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×