Anisotropy of Antiferromagnetic Domains in a Spin-orbit Mott Insulator

The temperature-dependent behavior of magnetic domains plays an essential role in the magnetic properties of materials, leading to widespread applications. However, experimental methods to access the three-dimensional (3D) magnetic domain structures are very limited, especially for antiferromagnets. Over the past decades, the spin-orbit Mott insulator iridate $Sr_2IrO_4$ has attracted particular attention because of its interesting magnetic structure and analogy to superconducting cuprates. Here, we apply resonant x-ray magnetic Bragg coherent diffraction imaging to track the real-space 3D evolution of antiferromagnetic ordering inside a $Sr_2IrO_4$ single crystal as a function of temperature, finding that the antiferromagnetic domain shows anisotropic changes. The anisotropy of the domain shape reveals the underlying anisotropy of the antiferromagnetic coupling strength within $Sr_2IrO_4$. These results demonstrate the high potential significance of 3D domain imaging in magnetism research.