Magnetoresistance in Bilayers of Heavy Metal and Non-collinear Antiferromagnet

Abstract

  We report on magnetoresistance measurements in a heavy metal/ Mn₃Ir multilayers. After a post annealing process, we observed the magnetoresistance associated with the ordered crystalline structure of the Mn₃Ir. The resistance change as a function of the strength as well as the direction of the applied field suggests that the magnetoresistance is partially related to a modification of the Néel order by the magnetic field. Our further detailed investigation revealed that there is an additional component of the resistance change, perhaps due to the non-collinear magnetic structure associated with the L1₂-ordered Mn₃Ir, which cannot be accounted for by any conventional magnetoresistance effects.