Variation of magnetic properties with current in ferrimagnetic semiconductor Mn3Si2Te6.

Orbital currents play a fundamental role in a wide range of transport phenomena. Recently, the discovery of a novel chiral orbital current state in the ferrimagnetic nodal-line semiconductor Mn₃Si₂Te₆ has attracted significant interest, supported by anomalous I–V characteristics and time-dependent bistable switching. However, the direct experimental verifications, combining electrical transport and magnetic measurement, that detect the variation of the magnetic properties vs the current are still rare. Here, we investigate the transport properties of Mn₃Si₂Te₆ and track the current-induced dynamics of the magnetic moment. Reflective magnetic circular dichroism reveals that significant alterations in Mn₃Si₂Te₆ magnetoresistance in response to an electric field are necessarily coupled with a magnetic phase transition, establishing a rare correlation. Our findings indicate the predominance of magnetic chiral orbital currents in the colossal angular magnetoresistance effect, offering a unique platform for advanced studies in orbital magnetism. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]