Neutron diffraction studies of magnetic order in epitaxial Mn3Sn thin films

The application potential of the magnetic Weyl semimetal Mn3Sn in the field of high-speed, high-density information storage is vast. Until recently, studies aimed at directly probing the magnetic structure and its impact on electron transport properties have been limited to bulk single crystals. Characterizing the properties of both the static and (current-driven) dynamic magnetic domains in Mn3Sn thin films, however, is a crucial step in realizing practical device applications. We report on elastic neutron diffraction experiments performed on (100)-oriented sputtered Mn3Sn thin films that elucidate the antichiral and low-T helical spiral phases. These results are consistent with anomalous Hall measurements on the same samples and with experiments on single crystals. We expect a fascinating interplay between thin film confinement and the magnetic properties of Mn3Sn, and our experiments show neutron diffraction can provide the necessary structural information.