The magnetic structure of the topological semimetal Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$.
2021
Magnetic crystalline solids with non-trivial topological phases driven by time-reversal symmetry breaking can exhibit intimate coupling between magnetism and quantum transport. Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ has recently been predicted to be a Weyl semimetal in which the magnetic order is key to its behavior as a topological material. In this Letter, we report the magnetic structure of Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$, determined by unpolarized neutron diffraction and spherical neutron polarimetry and supported by magnetization and transport data. The results are fully consistent with ferromagnetic order below $T_\textrm{C} = 177$ K in which the spins on the Co atoms point along the crystal $c$ axis. We find no evidence for an antiferromagnetic component to the magnetic structure, as has been suggested previously. A discontinuous change in bulk properties and neutron polarization observed at $T = 125$ K when samples are cooled in a field and measured on warming is found to be due to a sudden reduction in ferromagnetic domain size. Our results lend support to the theoretical predictions that Co$_3$Sn$_2$S$_2$ is a magnetic Weyl semimetal.
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