Element-Specific Spin-Polarized Source and Direct Imaging of the Magnetic Domain in Kagome Magnet TbMn₆Sn₆.

Abstract

The kagome magnet TbMn₆Sn₆ has recently triggered great interest in studying strongly correlated electronic states and novel magnetic behavior. Its abnormal temperature-dependent magnetic anisotropy with distinct spin polarization intensity indicates an intricate evolution process of the spin source and magnetic domain structure, which remains experimentally uninvestigated and unvalidated. Here, we identify element-specific spin polarization and domain evolution during the spin-flip transition. We unveil the spin differential between the Tb and Mn spin sources as well as the magnetization intensity along different spin easy axes. Furthermore, direct imaging of the magnetic domain exhibits a continuous degradation trend with an increasing temperature and disappears above the spin-flip temperature, suggesting an incorporation effect along with the changing magnetic anisotropy. Our study achieves direct identification and observation of spin polarization and domain wall features in the kagome system, offering promising prospects for the design of spintronic devices based on spin states and domain wall motion.