Van der Waals semiconducting antiferromagnets: Properties and challenges

Two-dimensional materials have opened up exciting possibilities for discovering and understanding new physical phenomena. Among these, a special class of materials known as van der Waals (layered) magnetic crystals has recently gained attention. In particular, compounds called metal phosphorus trichalcogenides (MPX₃, where M stands for a metal like manganese, iron, cobalt, or nickel, and X is either sulfur or selenium) show a rich variety of magnetic behaviors, even though they also act as semiconductors.

In this talk, I will present recent research on the properties of these materials, using a range of light-based techniques that allow us to "see" how magnetic and vibrational energy levels behave inside them. We'll explore how these materials respond to magnetic fields, how their magnetic and phonon excitations interact and can be tuned, and how some of their optical signals seem to carry information about the spin ordering. The results offer new insights that could be relevant for next-generation spintronic and THz technologies.

Coffee and tea will be available on the spot.