Publications Repository - Helmholtz-Zentrum Dresden-Rossendorf

Metallic antiferromagnets with chiral spin textures induce Berry curvature driven anomalous and spin Hall effects that arise from the topological structure of their electronic bands. Here, we use epitaxial engineering to stabilize (111)-oriented thin films of Mn3Ge with a cubic phase. This cubic phase is distinct from tetragonal ferrimagnetic and hexagonal noncollinear antiferromagnetic structures with the same chemical composition. First-principles calculations indicate that cubic Mn3Ge will preferentially form an all-in/all-out triangular spin texture. We present evidence for this noncollinear antiferromagnetism through magnetization measurements, with a Néel temperature of 490 K. First-principles calculations of the corresponding band structure indicates the presence of Weyl points. These highlight cubic Mn3Ge as a candidate material for topological antiferromagnetic spintronics.