Magnetoresistive memory effect in a weakly correlated semiconductor

The magnetoresistive memory effect derives from a material’s electrical resistivity’s dependence on historical magnetic field exposure. This effect has been reported in the two strongly correlated electron systems: perovskite manganites and pyrochlore iridates. In these materials, the mechanism for MRM appears to be magnetic, namely metastable magnetic states in manganites [1], and conducting magnetic domain walls in iridates [2], as the MRM effect appears below the magnetic transition temperature. In this study we report a large MRM in a weakly correlated semiconductor. The effect appears at twice the transition temperature, and therefore the mechanism can not be purely magnetic. The temperature, field, and time dependence of resistivity indicate a hidden order that mechanizes the MRM.

References:

[1] H. Kuwahara, et al., A First-Order Phase Transition Induced by a Magnetic Field. Science 270, 961-963 (1995).

[2] E. Y. Ma, et al., Mobile metallic domain walls in an all-in-all-out magnetic insulator. Science 350, 538-541(2015).