Tunable chiral and nematic states in the triple-Q antiferromagnet Co1/3TaS2

 

Complex spin configurations in magnetic materials, ranging from collinear single-Q to non-coplanar multi-Q states, exhibit rich symmetry and chiral properties. However, their detailed characterization is often hindered by the limited spatial resolution of neutron diffraction techniques. Here we employ magnetic circular dichroism and magnetic linear dichroism to investigate the triangular lattice antiferromagnet Co1/3TaS2, revealing three-state (Z3) nematicity and also spin chirality across its multi-Q magnetic phases. At intermediate temperatures, the presence of linear dichroism identifies nematicity arising from a single-Q stripe phase, while at high magnetic fields and low temperatures, a phase characterized solely by circular dichroism emerges, signifying a purely chiral non-coplanar triple-Q state. Notably, at low temperatures and small fields,we discover a unique phasewhere both chirality and nematicity coexist. A theoretical analysis based on a continuous multi-Q manifold captures the emergence of these distinctmagnetic phases, as a result of the interplay between four-spin interactions and weakmagnetic anisotropy. Additionally, both circular and linear dichroism microscopy spatially resolves the chiral and nematic domains. Our findings establish Co1/3TaS2 as a rare platform hosting diverse multi-Q states with distinct combinations of spin chirality and nematicity while demonstrating the effectiveness of polarized optical techniques in characterizing complex magnetic textures.

 

Authors: Erik Kirstein, Pyeongjae Park, Woonghee Cho, Cristian D. Batista, Je-Geun Park & Scott A. Crooker 

Link: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41467-026-68843-0