Direct evidence of ferromagnetism in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">MnSb</mml:mi><mml:mn>2</mml:mn></mml:msub><mml:msub><mml:mi mathvariant="normal">Te</mml:mi><mml:mn>4</mml:mn></mml:msub></mml:math>

Abstract

The compound MnSb${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$ is a close relative of the intrinsic antiferromagnetic topological insulator MnBi${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$. Density functional theory predicts that a Weyl semimetal phase exists in ferromagnetic MnBi${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$. Here, the authors fill in gaps in the magnetic imaging of MnSb${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$ and confirm long-range ferromagnetic order in single crystals of ferromagnetic MnSb${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$ using cryogenic magnetic force microscopy. The direct evidence of ferromagnetism in MnSb${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$ paves the way for realizing the ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal phase in the family of Mn(Bi, Sb)${}_{2}$Te${}_{4}$.

Topics & Concepts