Fourfold anisotropic magnetoresistance in antiferromagnetic epitaxial thin films of MnPt x Pd 1 − x

Antiferromagnets are emerging as promising alternatives to ferromagnets in spintronics applications. A key feature of antiferromagnets is their anisotropic magnetoresistance (AMR), which has the potential to serve as a sensitive marker for the antiferromagnetic order parameter. However, the underlying origins of this behavior remains poorly understood, particularly, in thin film geometries. In this study, we report the observation of AMR in epitaxial thin films of the collinear L1$₀$ antiferromagnet MnPt$_x$Pd$_1-x$. In the thicker films, AMR is dominated by a non-crystalline two-fold component, which emerges from domain reconfiguration and spin canting under applied magnetic field. As the film thickness is reduced, however, a crystalline four-fold component emerges, accompanied by the appearance of uncompensated magnetic moment, which strongly modifies the magnetotransport properties in the thinner films. We demonstrate that interfacial interactions lead to a large density of states (DOS) at the Fermi level. This enhanced DOS, combined with disorder in the thinner films, stabilizes the uncompensated moment and results in a four-fold modulation of the DOS as the Neel vector rotates, explaining the observed AMR behavior.