Antiferromagnet materials have recently gained renewed interest due to their possible use in spintronics technologies, where spin transport is the foundation of their functionalities. In that respect metallic antiferromagnets are of particular interest, since they enable complex interplays between electronic charge transport, spin, optical, and magnetization dynamics. Here we review phenomena where the metallic conductivity provides unique perspectives for the practical use and fundamental properties of antiferromagnetic materials.
II. CHARGE TRANSPORT IN METALLIC ANTIFERROMAGNETS A. MagnetoresistanceAnisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR) is a long-studied electrical property of ferromagnetic metals where resistivity depends upon the relative orientation between current and magnetization. 13 In spintronics research involving ferromag-arXiv:2005.05247v1 [cond-mat.str-el] 11 May 2020 state (see Fig. 1). In the Fe 2 O 3 /Pt bilayer system, intentional thermal annealing of the sample was used to distinguish two distinct types of switching in the magnetoresistance. A sawtooth magnetoresistance shape was attributed to the thermal artifact, while a smaller amplitude step-like change in the resistance was identified as antiferromagnetic switching. The implications of these new SMR switching experiments have not been fully reconciled yet with the earlier AMR switching experiments. Clearly, a future goal in the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics will be to identify and separate magnetoresistance effects arising from thermal or electromigration artifacts in both SMR and AMR based systems and devices.