Multiple Magnetic States at High Fields in the Layered Magnetic Metal YMn6Sn6

Published May 12, 2026

Top left: Kagome structure, Bottom left: YMn6Sn6 single crystal mounted on a rotating sample holder, Right: FMR signals at 240 GHz as a function of temperature, showing a magnetic phase transition around 80K.

Researchers from the University of Texas at El Paso, Boston College, and the University of Notre Dame came to the MagLab to study the magnetism of an exiting new material YMn6Sn6, which is a so-called Kagome metal. These type of materials have interesting properties that can be tuned by magnetic field, and have the potential to be used in future applications. The study was done by magnetic resonance to measure the local magnetic field at the magnetic sites in this material. The MagLab has the unique capability of doing this at a wide range of magnetic fields which was needed for this study.

What is the finding

Researchers showed that a complex metallic material can be studied using magnetic resonance, even though metals are typically difficult to measure with this technique. The material, YMn₆Sn₆, changes its magnetic behavior depending on the strength of the applied magnetic field and temperature. The study shows that in certain transition regions, multiple magnetic states exist at the same time, revealed by overlapping resonance signals.

Why is this important?

This YMn₆Sn₆ material belongs to a family known as Kagome metals, which have a unique lattice structure resembling a woven pattern. This structure leads to unusual electronic and magnetic properties.(Fig 1 lower left). This material has a large anomalous thermoelectric effect. Understanding how these properties change under different conditions could enable new technologies, such as advanced energy conversion devices and next-generation electronics. Magnetic resonance measurements provide a detailed, local view of the magnetic behavior—offering insights that traditional bulk measurements cannot capture.

Who did the research?

Lovia Ofori¹, Johan van Tol², Nathan Tolva³, Hari Bhandari⁴, Nirmal Ghimire⁴, and Srinivasa Rao Singamaneni¹

¹University of Texas at EL Paso; ²National MagLab, FSU ; ³Boston College; ⁴University of Notre Dame

Why did they need the MagLab?

TThis research needed access to extremely high magnetic fields and specialized instruments to observe how the material’s magnetic behavior evolves. The National MagLab provides unique capabilities, including high-frequency measurements that allow scientists to probe the material under multiple conditions on the same sample. Using three different high frequencies on the same sample, the local field on the Mn ions could be probed in three different magnetic phases by (ferro)magnetic resonance. The instrumentation at the MagLab is unique able to provide this capability to outside users.