Detection and manipulation of the antiferromagnetic Neel vector in Cr2O3

Detection and manipulation of the Neel vector in antiferromagnetic materials are promising for more stable, faster, and much higher-density spintronic devices. However, the electrical manipulation of the antiferromagnetic Neel vector remains challenging and controversial due to the difficulty in the detection of the zero net magnetization and the unavoidable complications from thermal artifacts. In this work, by utilizing the uniaxial antiferromagnet (AFM) Cr2O3, we demonstrate the detection and manipulation of the antiferromagnetic Neel vector. We reveal unambiguously the spin-dependent electrical responses of the coherent Cr2O3 Neel vector switching, where a symmetric Hall signal and a fourfold angular-dependent magnetoresistance are captured. We also demonstrate the in-plane arbitrary manipulation of the Cr2O3 Neel vector when the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy is compensated. Our work for detecting and manipulating Ned vectors offers a critical guide for antiferromagnetic-based Neel vector switching exploration.