Electrical manipulation of centrosymmetric antiferromagnets by Néel torque

Jin Cao; Weikang Wu; Huiying Liu; Shen Lai; Cong Xiao; Qian Niu; X. C. Xie; Shengyuan A. Yang

doi:10.1088/1361-6633/aea365

Electrical manipulation of centrosymmetric antiferromagnets by Néel torque

Jin Cao
, Weikang Wu
, Huiying Liu^*
, Shen Lai
, Cong Xiao^*
, Qian Niu
, X. C. Xie
, Shengyuan A. Yang^*

^*Corresponding author for this work

School of Physics

Research Laboratory for Quantum Materials
Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Key Laboratory for Liquid-Solid Structural Evolution and Processing of Materials
Shandong University
Institute of Applied Physics and Materials Engineering
University of Macau
Fudan University
School of Physics
University of Science and Technology of China
International Center for Quantum Materials and Electron Microscopy Laboratory
Peking University

Research output: Contribution to journal › Article › peer-review

Abstract

Electric control of Néel vector is a central task of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics. The major scheme so far has relied on the Néel spin–orbit torque, which however is restricted to AFMs with broken inversion symmetry. Here, we explore a nonlinear Néel torque, uniquely enabling electric control in the vast class of centrosymmetric AFMs including altermagnets, where the existing scheme fails. This new type of Néel torque operates in both AFM metals and insulators, and can appear in all collinear AFM configurations in all the 122 magnetic point groups. Combined with first-principles calculations, we predict significant effects in centrosymmetric AFMs MnRh, MnBi (Formula presented) (Formula presented) Te (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and altermagnet CrSb. Our work offers a new and general strategy for Néel torque, significantly broadens the scope of electric control of AFM systems, and opens a new arena in the field of AFM spintronics.

Original language	English
Article number	098005
Journal	Reports on Progress in Physics
Volume	89
Issue number	9
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1088/1361-6633/aea365
State	Published - Sep 2026

Keywords

altermagnets
antiferromagnetic spintronics
first-principles calculations
nonlinear Néel torque

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title = "Electrical manipulation of centrosymmetric antiferromagnets by N{\'e}el torque",

abstract = "Electric control of N{\'e}el vector is a central task of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics. The major scheme so far has relied on the N{\'e}el spin{\textendash}orbit torque, which however is restricted to AFMs with broken inversion symmetry. Here, we explore a nonlinear N{\'e}el torque, uniquely enabling electric control in the vast class of centrosymmetric AFMs including altermagnets, where the existing scheme fails. This new type of N{\'e}el torque operates in both AFM metals and insulators, and can appear in all collinear AFM configurations in all the 122 magnetic point groups. Combined with first-principles calculations, we predict significant effects in centrosymmetric AFMs MnRh, MnBi (Formula presented) (Formula presented) Te (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and altermagnet CrSb. Our work offers a new and general strategy for N{\'e}el torque, significantly broadens the scope of electric control of AFM systems, and opens a new arena in the field of AFM spintronics.",

keywords = "altermagnets, antiferromagnetic spintronics, first-principles calculations, nonlinear N{\'e}el torque",

author = "Jin Cao and Weikang Wu and Huiying Liu and Shen Lai and Cong Xiao and Qian Niu and Xie, \{X. C.\} and Yang, \{Shengyuan A.\}",

note = "Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2026 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved. This article is available under the terms of the IOP-Standard License.",

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doi = "10.1088/1361-6633/aea365",

language = "英语",

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T1 - Electrical manipulation of centrosymmetric antiferromagnets by Néel torque

AU - Cao, Jin

AU - Wu, Weikang

AU - Liu, Huiying

AU - Lai, Shen

AU - Xiao, Cong

AU - Niu, Qian

AU - Xie, X. C.

AU - Yang, Shengyuan A.

N1 - Publisher Copyright: © 2026 IOP Publishing Ltd. All rights, including for text and data mining, AI training, and similar technologies, are reserved. This article is available under the terms of the IOP-Standard License.

PY - 2026/9

Y1 - 2026/9

N2 - Electric control of Néel vector is a central task of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics. The major scheme so far has relied on the Néel spin–orbit torque, which however is restricted to AFMs with broken inversion symmetry. Here, we explore a nonlinear Néel torque, uniquely enabling electric control in the vast class of centrosymmetric AFMs including altermagnets, where the existing scheme fails. This new type of Néel torque operates in both AFM metals and insulators, and can appear in all collinear AFM configurations in all the 122 magnetic point groups. Combined with first-principles calculations, we predict significant effects in centrosymmetric AFMs MnRh, MnBi (Formula presented) (Formula presented) Te (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and altermagnet CrSb. Our work offers a new and general strategy for Néel torque, significantly broadens the scope of electric control of AFM systems, and opens a new arena in the field of AFM spintronics.

AB - Electric control of Néel vector is a central task of antiferromagnetic (AFM) spintronics. The major scheme so far has relied on the Néel spin–orbit torque, which however is restricted to AFMs with broken inversion symmetry. Here, we explore a nonlinear Néel torque, uniquely enabling electric control in the vast class of centrosymmetric AFMs including altermagnets, where the existing scheme fails. This new type of Néel torque operates in both AFM metals and insulators, and can appear in all collinear AFM configurations in all the 122 magnetic point groups. Combined with first-principles calculations, we predict significant effects in centrosymmetric AFMs MnRh, MnBi (Formula presented) (Formula presented) Te (Formula presented) (Formula presented) and altermagnet CrSb. Our work offers a new and general strategy for Néel torque, significantly broadens the scope of electric control of AFM systems, and opens a new arena in the field of AFM spintronics.

KW - altermagnets

KW - antiferromagnetic spintronics

KW - first-principles calculations

KW - nonlinear Néel torque

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DO - 10.1088/1361-6633/aea365

M3 - 文章

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AN - SCOPUS:105051169875

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VL - 89

JO - Reports on Progress in Physics

JF - Reports on Progress in Physics

IS - 9

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ER -

Electrical manipulation of centrosymmetric antiferromagnets by Néel torque

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