Magnetoresistive Memory in the Paramagnetic Phase of Eu₅In₂As₆

Original · EN

Magnetoresistive materials that respond sensitively to applied fields are central to modern data storage technologies. Here we unveil a novel Magnetoresistive Memory (MRM) in Eu₅In₂As₆, where the electrical resistivity depends not only on the magnitude but also on the history of the applied magnetic field. Such an effect has been reported in only two classes of strongly correlated electron systems: perovskite manganites and pyrochlore iridates. In both cases, the effect has been observed in the magnetically ordered phase. It has been attributed to metastable magnetic states in manganites and conducting domain walls in iridates. Remarkably, the MRM in Eu₅In₂As₆ onsets at twice the antiferromagnetic transition temperature, well within the paramagnetic phase. The temperature, field, and time dependence of resistivity suggest that either a hidden order or a fluctuating phase with short-range correlations underlies this effect. Our results offer MRM as a new platform for quantum sensing and memory technologies, and encourage searching for MRM in related materials.