Non-volatile chirality switching by all-optical magnetization reversal in ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2

Abstract

AbstractWeyl semimetals show unique physical properties exemplified by the colossal anomalous Hall effect, arising from exotic quasiparticles called Weyl fermions emerging around the Weyl nodes. Manipulating these topologically protected Weyl nodes is anticipated to play a leading role towards the on-demand control of quantum properties in Weyl semimetals. We demonstrate non-volatile chirality switching in a ferromagnetic Weyl semimetal Co3Sn2S2 via all-optical magnetization reversal. When excited by circularly polarized mid-infrared light pulses, the sign reversal of the anomalous Hall conductivity stemming from the Berry curvature is observed, manifesting the switching of the chirality of the Weyl nodes accompanying with the magnetization reversal. Magneto-optical imaging measurements reveal that the mechanism of the magnetization/chirality switching is attributed to the helicity-dependent deterministic magnetization associated with the magnetic circular dichroism.