Topological Hall effect and the transition of the anomalous Hall effect mechanism in hexagonal alloys Mn3.1− xFexGe0.9 (x = 1.6, 1.8, 2.0)

Abstract

Hexagonal Mn3Ge, with both kagome lattice and triangular antiferromagnetism, has gained significant attention due to its large anomalous Hall effect (AHE), resulting from the non-vanishing Berry phase. In this study, we present the magnetic and anomalous transport properties of a series hexagonal D019 type Fe-doped Mn3Ge alloys with the composition of Mn3.1−xFexGe0.9 (x = 1.6, 1.8, 2.0). The ferromagnetic interactions gradually increase with increasing Fe content. The longitudinal resistivity of all alloys exhibits a typical metallic behavior, increasing with temperature from 5 to 390 K. The residual resistivity decreases from 120.4 to 67.8 μΩ·cm as x increases from 1.6 to 2.0. A temperature-driven Lifshitz transition and a spin reorientation have been observed in the x = 1.6 alloy. Topological Hall effect accompanied by the spin reorientation is demonstrated. The maximum value of the topological Hall resistivity ρxyT is approximately 0.16 μΩ·cm. The relationship of ρxyA∝ ρxx in x = 1.6 alloy suggests that the extrinsic skew scattering predominantly contributes to the AHE mechanism. In the case of x = 1.8 and 2.0, both intrinsic and extrinsic factors contribute to the AHE. The anomalous Hall conductivity of our polycrystalline samples at room temperature is comparable to that of single crystal Mn3Ge, which is advantageous for practical applications. This study reveals the effectiveness of chemical engineering in tailoring nontrivial spin textures and the AHE.