Larkin length as a criterion for antiferromagnetic writing

preprint OA: gold CC-BY-4.0
📄 Open PDF Full text JSON View at publisher

Abstract

Abstract Antiferromagnets are emerging as a transformative platform for next-generation spintronics and information storage technologies, promising improved speed and energy efficiency. However, unlike in ferromagnets---where magnetic domain stability is governed by long-range magnetostatic fields---the physical principles defining the minimum writable domain size in antiferromagnets remain poorly understood. Here we identify the Larkin length---the scale at which disorder-induced pinning of domain walls and elastic restoring forces balance---as a key parameter governing the ultimate resolution for stable antiferromagnetic domain writing. We observe that the Larkin length decreases sharply near the Neel transition, enabling deterministic electrical writing of micrometer-scale domains in the archetypal antiferromagnet Cr 2 O 3 . Exploiting this mechanism, we demonstrate Heat-Assisted Antiferromagnetic Recording using picosecond laser heating, as a direct analog of Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording on ferromagnetic media. These findings establish a framework for understanding domain stability in antiferromagnets and provide practical pathways for deterministic electrical and optical domain writing towards extreme-density ferroic devices.
Full text 14,671 characters · extracted from preprint-html · click to expand
Larkin length as a criterion for antiferromagnetic writing | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Physical Sciences - Article Larkin length as a criterion for antiferromagnetic writing Nikolai Khokhlov, Aleksandr Buzdakov, Timur Gareev, Sheng Li, and 3 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Antiferromagnets are emerging as a transformative platform for next-generation spintronics and information storage technologies, promising improved speed and energy efficiency. However, unlike in ferromagnets---where magnetic domain stability is governed by long-range magnetostatic fields---the physical principles defining the minimum writable domain size in antiferromagnets remain poorly understood. Here we identify the Larkin length---the scale at which disorder-induced pinning of domain walls and elastic restoring forces balance---as a key parameter governing the ultimate resolution for stable antiferromagnetic domain writing. We observe that the Larkin length decreases sharply near the Neel transition, enabling deterministic electrical writing of micrometer-scale domains in the archetypal antiferromagnet Cr 2 O 3 . Exploiting this mechanism, we demonstrate Heat-Assisted Antiferromagnetic Recording using picosecond laser heating, as a direct analog of Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording on ferromagnetic media. These findings establish a framework for understanding domain stability in antiferromagnets and provide practical pathways for deterministic electrical and optical domain writing towards extreme-density ferroic devices. Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena Physical sciences/Physics/Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Magnetic properties and materials Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Magnetic properties and materials Antiferromagnetism Domain structure Magnetoelectric effect Magnetic memory Ultrafast magnetism Full Text Additional Declarations There is NO Competing Interest. Supplementary Files NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931471.mp4 SI Video 1 NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931472.mp4 SI Video 2 NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931473.mp4 SI Video 3 NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931474.mp4 SI Video 4 Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-9405081","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Physical Sciences - Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":626179027,"identity":"1ec7c748-a53c-40b0-b655-94d2172c2af7","order_by":0,"name":"Nikolai Khokhlov","email":"data:image/png;base64,iVBORw0KGgoAAAANSUhEUgAAAZAAAAAyAQMAAABI0h/eAAAABlBMVEX///8AAABVwtN+AAAACXBIWXMAAA7EAAAOxAGVKw4bAAAA6ElEQVRIie3RMQrCMBSA4TwexKXqLA5eIaVQKVS8iiJ00jtUAnFRZzt5BV2KY6SgizfIVLxA3UQcTB10kFbdBPNDwgvkG0IIMZl+NBiHhLGKnjK9aOVjgnpY5AS/IWjlx3ekTVBCtPGdNuKu6V/iVg0JZKdhMfFC2oP1IXA9ToPmaK5sgQQbUVxMmLQYpCLxWWI5zmiqQBOK1VJSz57Em6ruB8QisBaJq4l9JGfVf08SyraRCBw99NNZqAYCgZe/Zc/TdCZ8e7XnUp6vqrOc8G12KiH5L8jHAcR9D0vuv3T95rLJZDL9SzdKgE4g4Lr+LgAAAABJRU5ErkJggg==","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-7360-1163","institution":"Radboud University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Nikolai","middleName":"","lastName":"Khokhlov","suffix":""},{"id":626179028,"identity":"3b97fd31-37dc-4190-b884-eb0600b7bbd3","order_by":1,"name":"Aleksandr Buzdakov","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Italian Institute of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Aleksandr","middleName":"","lastName":"Buzdakov","suffix":""},{"id":626179029,"identity":"f9e6238c-be3f-45f2-b73f-12fdf76c9fa2","order_by":2,"name":"Timur Gareev","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Radboud University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Timur","middleName":"","lastName":"Gareev","suffix":""},{"id":626179030,"identity":"c41bf813-0433-4960-a8c5-3e95f5a9a3b9","order_by":3,"name":"Sheng Li","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wuhan University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sheng","middleName":"","lastName":"Li","suffix":""},{"id":626179031,"identity":"35d0bd50-9aee-4f94-a0db-f699ca5bd06f","order_by":4,"name":"Xuewen Wang","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Wuhan University of Technology","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Xuewen","middleName":"","lastName":"Wang","suffix":""},{"id":626179032,"identity":"e82c0e3b-0687-4011-b40f-ad369d8ace08","order_by":5,"name":"Sergey Artyukhin","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-6996-6880","institution":"Quantum Materials Theory","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sergey","middleName":"","lastName":"Artyukhin","suffix":""},{"id":626179033,"identity":"45ae7ea2-27a5-4552-a9e2-71b0fc371622","order_by":6,"name":"Alexey Kimel","email":"","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-0709-042X","institution":"Institute for Molecules and Materials, Radboud University","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Alexey","middleName":"","lastName":"Kimel","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2026-04-13 13:56:58","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":107489453,"identity":"b0fd4c7c-a238-4c19-8abb-88452ce7812b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-22 02:47:42","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":5800153,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"Article File","description":"","filename":"AntiferromagneticwritinginCr2O32026.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9405081/v1_covered_b1cedbb2-a564-4be5-90bb-651ef9288eab.pdf"},{"id":107420865,"identity":"ae4212de-4294-4710-a4b7-6e203efc0b0e","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-21 10:26:55","extension":"mp4","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":3474914,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"SI Video 1","description":"","filename":"NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931471.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9405081/v1/f4fa70d9307039cca67a55ba.mp4"},{"id":107420864,"identity":"567bbd96-c844-4694-8829-94429e1c72a8","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-21 10:26:55","extension":"mp4","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":4236258,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"SI Video 2","description":"","filename":"NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931472.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9405081/v1/cf97213f182dae4a5fefa450.mp4"},{"id":107420866,"identity":"77168b4c-c410-4113-a7f2-d86d7d336c46","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-21 10:26:55","extension":"mp4","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":4115515,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"SI Video 3","description":"","filename":"NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931473.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9405081/v1/67f9e04a05de265a194382c8.mp4"},{"id":107420867,"identity":"68951eac-e5bb-41c7-b0f9-acc2e3a04064","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-04-21 10:26:55","extension":"mp4","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":9132542,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"SI Video 4","description":"","filename":"NATUREemailattachmentSMC17760931474.mp4","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-9405081/v1/3c396ae582a1f0868709815e.mp4"}],"financialInterests":"There is \u003cb\u003eNO\u003c/b\u003e Competing Interest.","formattedTitle":"Larkin length as a criterion for antiferromagnetic writing","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":true,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature-portfolio","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"","sideBox":"","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature Portfolio","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":false,"dfaEnabled":false,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false},"keywords":"Antiferromagnetism, Domain structure, Magnetoelectric effect, Magnetic memory, Ultrafast magnetism","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"Antiferromagnets are emerging as a transformative platform for next-generation spintronics and information storage technologies, promising improved speed and energy efficiency. However, unlike in ferromagnets---where magnetic domain stability is governed by long-range magnetostatic fields---the physical principles defining the minimum writable domain size in antiferromagnets remain poorly understood. Here we identify the Larkin length---the scale at which disorder-induced pinning of domain walls and elastic restoring forces balance---as a key parameter governing the ultimate resolution for stable antiferromagnetic domain writing. We observe that the Larkin length decreases sharply near the Neel transition, enabling deterministic electrical writing of micrometer-scale domains in the archetypal antiferromagnet Cr\u003csub\u003e2\u003c/sub\u003eO\u003csub\u003e3\u003c/sub\u003e. Exploiting this mechanism, we demonstrate Heat-Assisted Antiferromagnetic Recording using picosecond laser heating, as a direct analog of Heat-Assisted Magnetic Recording on ferromagnetic media. These findings establish a framework for understanding domain stability in antiferromagnets and provide practical pathways for deterministic electrical and optical domain writing towards extreme-density ferroic devices.","manuscriptTitle":"Larkin length as a criterion for antiferromagnetic writing","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-04-21 10:26:44","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-9405081/v1","editorialEvents":[],"status":"published","journal":{"display":false,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"nature","isNatureJournal":true,"hasQc":false,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"nature","sideBox":"Learn more about [Nature](http://www.nature.com/nature/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Nature","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"ejp","reportingPortfolio":"Nature","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":false}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"02940cfa-d322-407f-8e05-2adde8f42397","owner":[],"postedDate":"April 21st, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"This content is not available.","date":"2026-05-05T15:00:29+00:00","index":3,"fulltext":"This content is not available."}],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":66641502,"name":"Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena"},{"id":66641503,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena"},{"id":66641504,"name":"Physical sciences/Physics/Statistical physics, thermodynamics and nonlinear dynamics/Phase transitions and critical phenomena"},{"id":66641505,"name":"Physical sciences/Physics/Condensed-matter physics/Magnetic properties and materials"},{"id":66641506,"name":"Physical sciences/Materials science/Condensed-matter physics/Magnetic properties and materials"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-04-21T10:26:44+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-04-21 10:26:44","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-9405081","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-9405081","identity":"rs-9405081","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}

Text is read by the "Ask this paper" AI Q&A widget below. Extraction quality varies by source — PMC NXML preserves structure cleanly, OA-HTML may include some navigation residue, and OA-PDF can have broken hyphenation. The publisher copy (via DOI) is the canonical version.

My notes (saved in your browser only)

Ask this paper AI returns verbatim quotes from the full text · source: preprint-html

Answers must be backed by verbatim quotes from this paper's full text. Hallucinated quotes are dropped automatically; if no verbatim passage answers the question, we say so. How this works

Citation neighborhood (no data yet)

We don't have any in-corpus citations linked to this paper yet. This is a recent paper (2026) — citers typically take a year or two to land, and the OpenAlex reference graph may still be filling in.

Source provenance

europepmc
last seen: 2026-05-20T01:45:00.602351+00:00
unpaywall
last seen: 2026-05-21T05:10:58.409756+00:00
License: CC-BY-4.0