Ultrafast time-resolved observation of non-thermal current-induced switching in an antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal

Nature Materials (2025)Cite this article Antiferromagnets have gained a growing interest for next-generation spintronic applications. Among them, the antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Mn3Sn stands out because of its electrical and magnetic properties driven by its non-collinear spin structure at room temperature. Despite research progress on the current-induced switching of the magnetic octupole in Mn3Sn, the ultrafast switching inherent to the antiferromagnet remains to be resolved, and the underlying mechanism is yet elusive. Here we measure the spatiotemporally resolved current-induced switching dynamics in polycrystalline Mn3Sn films using ultrafast magneto-optical Kerr effect imaging, with current pulses as short as 140 ps. Our results directly reveal two distinct switching regimes depending on the intensity and duration of the current pulse: a non-thermal process that does not require the transient melting of antiferromagnetic order, and a temperature-assisted process that relies on heating above the magnetic ordering temperature. Our work highlights the potential of Mn3Sn towards ultrafast magnetic recording devices.This is a preview of subscription content, access via your institution Access Nature and 54 other Nature Portfolio journals Get Nature+, our best-value online-access subscription $32.99 / 30 days cancel any timeSubscribe to this journal Receive 12 print issues and online access $259.00 per yearonly $21.58 per issueBuy this articleUSD 39.95Prices may be subject to local taxes which are calculated during checkoutData that support the findings of this work are available in the Supplementary Information. Source data are provided with this paper.Satoh, T. et al. 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Kondo for fruitful discussions.Tomoya HigoPresent address: Department of Electronics and Electrical Engineering, Keio University, Yokohama, JapanThese authors contributed equally: Kazuma Ogawa, Hanshen Tsai.Department of Physics, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, JapanKazuma Ogawa, Hanshen Tsai, Naotaka Yoshikawa, Takumi Matsuo, Yutaro Tsushima, Mihiro Asakura, Hanyi Peng, Takuya Matsuda, Tomoya Higo, Satoru Nakatsuji & Ryo ShimanoInstitute for Quantum Matter and Department of Physics and Astronomy, Johns Hopkins University, Baltimore, MD, USATakumi Matsuo & Satoru NakatsujiThe Institute for Solid State Physics, The University of Tokyo, Kashiwa, JapanTomoya Higo & Satoru NakatsujiTrans-scale Quantum Science Institute, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, JapanSatoru Nakatsuji & Ryo ShimanoCryogenic Research Center, The University of Tokyo, Bunkyo-ku, JapanRyo ShimanoSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarSearch author on:PubMed Google ScholarK.O. carried out the optical experiments and analysed the data. K.O. and N.Y. developed the ultrafast TR-MOKE measurement system under the supervision of R.S. H.T. and T. Matsuda optimized the device structure for the TR-MOKE measurements with feedback from K.O., S.N. and R.S. T. Matsuo, Y.T., M.A., H.P. and T.H. grew and characterized the thin films. H.T. fabricated the Hall-bar devices and conducted the transport measurements of current-induced switching phenomena under the supervision of S.N. S.N. and R.S. conceived the project of this study. K.O. and R.S. wrote the manuscript with feedback from all co-authors.Correspondence to Kazuma Ogawa or Ryo Shimano.The authors declare no competing interests.Nature Materials thanks Davide Bossini, Zhiqi Liu and the other, anonymous, reviewer(s) for their contribution to the peer review of this work.Publisher’s note Springer Nature remains neutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.Supplementary Sections 1–15 and Figs. 1–15.Statistical source data.Statistical source data.Statistical source data.Statistical source data.Springer Nature or its licensor (e.g. a society or other partner) holds exclusive rights to this article under a publishing agreement with the author(s) or other rightsholder(s); author self-archiving of the accepted manuscript version of this article is solely governed by the terms of such publishing agreement and applicable law.Reprints and permissionsOgawa, K., Tsai, H., Yoshikawa, N. et al. Ultrafast time-resolved observation of non-thermal current-induced switching in an antiferromagnetic Weyl semimetal. Nat. Mater. (2025). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02402-8Download citationReceived: 06 February 2025Accepted: 10 October 2025Published: 04 December 2025Version of record: 04 December 2025DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-025-02402-8Anyone you share the following link with will be able to read this content:Sorry, a shareable link is not currently available for this article. Provided by the Springer Nature SharedIt content-sharing initiative