DOE OSTI2025
In this paper, we present a comprehensive study of magnetic properties of Co 3 Sn 2 S 2 (CoSnS) crystals using macroscopic characterization and observations of the domain structure (DS) in a wide range of easy- and hard-axis fields (𝐻) and temperatures (𝑇). From macroscopic measurements, we derive temperature dependences of the basic magnetic parameters of the material [saturation magnetization 𝑀 𝑠 (𝑇), uniaxial anisotropy constant 𝐾(𝑇), and exchange stiffness 𝐴(𝑇)] and, based on them, calculate the thermodynamic magnetization 𝑀(𝐻,𝑇) curves and DS parameters for pinning-free samples. We find important qualitative and quantitative differences between the theory and experiment defined by the efficient pinning of domain walls (DWs) in our samples. It turns out that, already at temperatures close to the ferromagnetic transition 𝑇 𝑐 , the DW dynamics falls into the heavy creep regime, resulting in a strong deferral of the DS adjustment into the equilibrium state. Here, we suggest that specific magnetic defects, responsible for pinning and causing field-tuned reproducible domain nucleation patterns observed in our high-quality samples, are pointlike. Recently found magnetic polarons formed around vacancies and impurities, which carry strong diamagnetic moments of spin-orbit nature and are intrinsic for CoSnS and expected in other Weyl semimetals, are a possible source of pinning yielding peculiar 𝑀(𝐻,𝑇) response of CoSnS.
75 CONDENSED MATTER PHYSICS, SUPERCONDUCTIVITY AND↗