The electric current flowing through antiferromagnets can be spin-polarized when their magnetic structures break the macroscopic time-reversal symmetry, which leads to the emergence of the tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) effect in the antiferromagnetic tunnel junction. In this study, the authors calculation the TMR effect from first-principles with the noncollinear antiferromagnet Mn₃Sn as the electrode, and MgO, a typical barrier material, as the insulating spacer. They show that Mn₃Sn/MgO/Mn₃Sn junctions exhibit a sizable TMR effect owing to the spin splitting of Mn₃Sn and the screening effect of MgO. This work will serve as a reasonable benchmark for further development of the antiferromagnetic TMR effect.
Tanaka et al. (2026) studied this question.