REVIEWS

Heusler, Weyl and Berry

Kaustuv Manna1, Yan Sun   1, Lukas Muechler1,2, Jürgen Kübler3 and Claudia Felser1*
Abstract | Heusler compounds, initially discovered by Fritz Heusler more than a century ago, have
grown into a family of more than 1,000 compounds, synthesized from combinations of more than
40 elements. Recently , by incorporating heavy elements that can give rise to strong spin–orbit
coupling, non-trivial topological phases of matter, such as topological insulators, have been
discovered in Heusler materials. Moreover, interplay between the symmetry , spin–orbit coupling
and magnetic structure allows for the realization of a wide variety of topological phases through
Berry curvature design. The topological properties of Heusler compounds can be manipulated by
various external perturbations, resulting in exotic properties, such as the chiral anomaly and large
anomalous, spin and topological Hall effects. In addition, the non-zero Berry curvature that arises
as a result of non-collinear order gives rise to a non-zero anomalous Hall effect. Besides this
k-space Berry curvature, Heusler compounds with non-collinear magnetic structures also possess
real-space topological states in the form of magnetic antiskyrmions, which have not yet been
observed in other materials. In this Review , we discuss Heusler compounds from a topological
perspective and the connection between the topology and the symmetry properties, spin gapless
semiconductors, magnetic compensated ferrimagnets, non-collinear order in ferromagnetic
and antiferromagnetic Heusler compounds, the anomalous Hall effect and, finally , magnetic
antiskyrmions. Together with the new topological viewpoint and the high tunability , novel physical
properties and phenomena await discovery in Heusler compounds.

1
Max Planck Institute for
Chemical Physics of Solids,
Dresden, Germany.
2
Department of Chemistry,
Princeton University,
Princeton, NJ, USA.
3
Institut für Festkörperphysik,
Technische Universität
Darmstadt, Darmstadt,
Germany.
*e-mail: felser@cpfs.mpg.de
https://doi.org/10.1038/
s41578-018-0036-5
Fritz Heusler (1866–1947), Hermann Weyl (1885–1955)
and Michael Berry (1941–) are three renowned scien-
tists whose work has led to new and important insight
into materials science, topology and condensed-matter
physics. Their work nucleated three independent
research fields: the extended family of Heusler com-
pounds in materials science, the formation of Weyl fer-
mions in relation to high-energy physics and the Berry
phase in condensed-matter physics. However, only very
recently was it realized, as we explain below, that Weyl
fermions and the Berry phase are deeply connected
in condensed-matter physics1,2 and can be realized in
real materials. The Heusler family of compounds — a
highly tunable class of materials — serves as a perfect
playground for investigating how topological properties
can be tuned through Berry curvature design3,4.
Heusler, Weyl and Berry
Heusler compounds. Heusler compounds were first dis-
covered in 1903 by Fritz Heusler when he reported the
surprising observation of room-temperature ferromag-
netic order in Cu2MnAl, although none of its constitu-
ent elements show magnetism5,6. The crystal structure
of Cu2MnAl was unknown until 1934, when Heusler’s
son, Otto Heusler7, and Albert Bradley8 independently
solved the crystal structure. Today, Heusler compounds
represent a large class of materials that comprises more
than 1,000 compounds with different compositions
and lattice structures (Box  1) . Heusler compounds
can be semiconducting, metallic, superconducting or
half-metallic and display a wide range of fascinating
properties, such as ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism,
thermoelectricity, spin caloricity and high spin polariza-
tion3,4,9–13. The uniqueness of the Heusler class of com-
pounds is that their structure is stable to a wide variety
of elements that can be substituted on any of the three
distinct atomic sites within the unit cell. Thus, Heusler
compounds have been found to exhibit, beyond the
conventional properties listed above, several topological
properties, including topological superconductivity14,15
and new types of topological insulators for which the
surface states are coupled with the spin-polarized edge
states16,17. As a result, Heusler compounds have potential
for many important technological applications3,4,9–13.
Weyl fermions. Weyl fermions are chiral massless rela­
tivistic particles that were first proposed by Hermann
Weyl in 1929 in connection with a simplified version of
the Dirac equation relevant in high-energy physics18,19.
Similar to the Schrödinger equation, which is a differ-
ential equation for the wavefunction and energy of a
non-relativistic quantum particle, the Dirac equation

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is a matrix differential equation whose solution yields
the energy and wavefunction of a relativistic particle. The
wavefunction of the Dirac equation, however, is given
by a vector with four components, and the Hamilton
Box 1 | Heusler compounds
Heusler compounds generally have a cubic structure and either an XYZ (half-Heusler) or
X2YZ (full-Heusler) composition, where X and Y are transition metals, with X being more
electropositive than Y, and Z is a main group element (see the figure, panel a).
Full-Heuslers can be one of two types: regular-Heuslers or inverse-Heuslers.
regular-Heusler compounds, such as the prototypical example Cu2Mnal (L21), adopt the
centrosymmetric Fm 3 m ̄ (225) space group. By contrast, inverse-Heusler (for which
Li2agsb is the prototype) and half-Heusler (for which Mgagas is the prototype)
compounds adopt the non-centrosymmetric F 4 3̄ m (216) space group. although the
general structure is cubic, structural deformation through either compression or
elongation along one of the cubic <100> axes generates a tetragonal lattice with the
I4/mmm space group; a similar deformation along one of the <111> directions results
in a hexagonal structure (see the figure, panel b) with the P63mc space group. Owing
to the large magnetocrystalline anisotropy in tetragonal Heuslers, the preferred
orientation of magnetization can be tuned from in-plane to out-of-plane (see the
figure, panel c) by the sign of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy. in panel c of
the figure, the light-blue spheres represent a 3d, 4d or 5d element that is introduced to
alter the strength of the magnetocrystalline anisotropy89. For certain values of the
magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, the spins stabilize in a complex non-collinear
order (see the figure, panel d). Heusler compounds can be metallic or semiconducting
and have a band structure that can be tuned to realize states, such as spin gapless
semiconductors, half-metals and magnetic semiconductors. thus, Heuslers are
important for numerous potential technological applications3,4,76,88,119,142,143.
a
+X +Y
–
Half-Heusler (F43m)
Exchange X and Y
– –
Regular-Heusler (Fm3m) Inverse-Heusler (F43m)
b is the loop30. This field is equivalent to a magnetic field
Distortion Distortion
along [100] along [111]
Tetragonal Cubic Hexagonal
c d
Tetragonal
distortion
In-plane Out-of-plane Non-collinear
magnetization magnetization magnet
© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.
operator is represented by a 4 × 4 matrix, whereas the
wavefunction obtained from the Schrödinger equa-
tion is a simple function. Weyl proposed a simplified
version of the Dirac equation that Weyl fermions have
to fulfil. The simplified equation involves only a 2 × 2
Hamiltonian that can be derived under the assumption
that the rest mass of the particle under consideration
→⎯
vanishes: H w = κcp ⋅ σ ⃗, where κ = ±1 defines the chi­
→⎯
rality of Weyl fermions, p is the momentum operator,
σ ⃗ is a vector composed of the Pauli matrices and c is the
velocity of light. However, even after many decades, no
such particle has been detected in high-energy physics
experiments.
Weyl’s theory is connected to low-energy condensed-
matter physics; indeed, the band structure of topological
materials shows doubly degenerate linear crossing points
in which the electrons follow the same Hamiltonian that
Weyl proposed in high-energy physics. However, the
importance of these crossings has only recently been reco­
gnized since being found in real materials, such as TaAs
(refs20–24). These linear crossing points are denoted as the
Weyl points, and the material is called a Weyl semimetal.
As Weyl points are linear touching points of two bands,
the spin degeneracies of the band structure need to be
split by breaking the spatial inversion symmetry and/or
time-reversal symmetry. Inversion symmetry is nat-
urally broken in inverse-Heusler and half-Heusler
compounds. Heusler compounds also host different
classes of magnetic structures (such as ferromagnetic,
ferrimagnetic, collinear and non-collinear antiferro-
magnetic) that naturally break time-reversal symmetry.
Therefore, there is a high probability that Heusler
compounds contain Weyl points. Indeed, Weyl fer-
mions were recently observed in both magnetic and
nonmagnetic Heusler compounds25–29.
Berry curvature. Berry reported in 1984 that an adiaba-
tic loop composed of non-degenerate eigenenergy states
in any parameter space can acquire a phase difference,
called the Berry phase, which can be written as the inte-
gral of a field over a surface around whose perimeter
in the given parameter space and is called the Berry cur-
vature. Berry curvature describes the entanglement of the
valence and conduction bands in an energy band struc-
ture. Berry noted that an energy-level crossing can lead
to an object that behaves as a magnetic monopole30. Weyl
points are such crossings; they always come in pairs, and
they behave as the sinks and sources of Berry curva-
ture in k-space. The integration of the Berry curvature
over a closed sphere with one Weyl point inside yields
the Chern number (also called the topological charge),
which is the topological invariant of the Weyl point31.
The sign of the Chern number defines the chirality of the
Weyl point. The topological stability of Weyl semimetals
depends on the separation of the pair of Weyl points; the
only way to annihilate Weyl points is to move them to
the same point in the Brillouin zone1,20,32,33. An important
consequence of Weyl points in the band structure is the
formation of a non-closed Fermi arc on the surface and
unusual transport properties, such as the chiral anom-
aly in TaAs and the half-Heusler compound GdPtBi
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Box 2 | topological states in Heusler compounds
as a class of tunable materials, Heusler compounds host several topological phases,
including topological insulators and weyl semimetals. One of the earliest discovered
classes of 3D topological insulators was Heusler compounds exhibiting typical s–p band
inversion56–58 (see the figure, ‘topological insulator’). extending topological band theory
to semimetals led to the identification of two types of topological semimetals in which
the valence and conduction bands linearly touch, resulting in weyl cones, which act as
the monopoles of Berry curvature. By breaking time-reversal symmetry, weyl semimetals
can exist in various magnetic Heusler materials, such as Co2Mnal (see the figure,
‘Magnetic weyl semimetal’), in which the location and number of weyl points can be
manipulated by changing the orientation of the magnetization25,32,70,75. in addition
to k-space, Heusler compounds also host real-space topological states because of the
existence of non-collinear magnetic structures. the absence of symmetries that reverse
the sign of the Berry curvature in some non-collinear magnetic structures enables a
non-zero anomalous Hall effect (aHe) even at zero net magnetic moment, as observed in
the Heusler compounds Mn3Ge and Mn3sn (refs110–112,114,116) (see the figure, ‘anomalous
Hall effect’; the red dashed lines represent the charge currents). Owing to spin-rotation
symmetry breaking, a spin Hall effect (sHe) is also proposed in Mn3Ge and Mn3sn even
without spin–orbit coupling115,118 (see the figure, ‘spin Hall effect’; the red and green
dashed lines represent the spin current for the opposite spin channels). a strong
Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction, in combination with D2d symmetry, leads to the
observation of antiskyrmion structures in the tetragonal Heusler alloy Mn–Pt–sn
(see the figure, ‘antiskyrmion’)128.
Heusler compounds
Band topology Non-trivial spin structure
Topological insulator Anomalous Hall effect
JAHE
E generates highly tunable and multifunctional properties,
ScPtBi, s–p inversion Mn3Ge, Sn
Magnetic Weyl semimetal Spin Hall effect Antiskyrmion
JSHE
E ties of the topological states. In this Review, we introduce
Co2MnAl Mn3Ge, Sn Mn–Pt–Sn
E, electrical field; J, transverse charge current.
(refs34,35), and a giant anomalous Hall effect (AHE) in
the full-Heuslers Co2MnAl and Co2MnGa (refs27,36,37).
The AHE can have two origins, an extrinsic contri-
bution from impurity scattering of the charge carriers
and an intrinsic contribution from the Berry curvature
of the electronic structure38,39. In the absence of any non-
collinear spin texture, the Hall resistivity is expressed as
ρxy = R 0μ0H + αρxx(2
)
+ βρxx M , where R0 is the Hall coef-
ficient, μ0 is the magnetic permeability of free space, H is
the magnetic field, ρxx is the longitudinal resistivity and
M is the magnetization of the sample. The first term of
ρxy is the ordinary Hall contribution from the Lorentz
force, and the second term is the magnetic contribution,
which is known as the AHE component. The extrinsic
contribution is mainly from side-jump-scattering and
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skew-scattering effects, where α is the coefficient corre-
sponding to intrinsic and side-jump scattering and β is
the coefficient corresponding to skew scattering. The
intrinsic contribution of the AHE in a material is calcu-
lated by integrating the Berry curvature over the whole
Brillouin zone36,40,41. As the Berry curvature is odd under
time reversal and as Weyl points behave as the mono­
pole of Berry curvature, Weyl semimetals that break
time-reversal symmetry are excellent candidates for the
observation of a large intrinsic AHE. For an ideal Weyl
semimetal with two Weyl points located at the k points of
(0,0,kw) and (0,0,−kw), the anomalous Hall conductivity
(AHC) is proportional to the distance between the pair
of Weyl points26,42–44. From this simple relation between
the quantized anomalous Hall conductance and AHC
in Weyl semimetals, the magnetic Weyl semimetals can
be viewed as close relatives of quantum anomalous Hall
systems in three dimensions. In contrast to topologically
trivial magnetic metals, the density of states in Weyl
semimetals can be extremely low and can even vanish at
the Weyl points, which leads to a very low charge-carrier
density in addition to a large AHC. In the absence of
other topologically trivial bands, the low charge-carrier
concentration leads to a large anomalous Hall angle in
magnetic Weyl semimetals, which increases the possi-
bility of realizing a large-gap quantum AHE. In the case
of a large gap, the chiral nature of the edge state results
in non-dissipative transport at high temperatures, which
could be useful in technological applications.
Tuning the Berry curvature. In Heusler compounds, the
variety of accessible electronic and magnetic properties
together with the existence of topological band order
including topological insulators, Weyl and nodal-line
semimetals, topological superconductivity and
spin-structured topological states, such as skyrmions15,45–48
(Box 2). To understand the underlying physics and thus
enable control of these topological states, it is essential to
understand the origin and stability of the various proper-
the Berry curvature as a guiding principle to explain the
topological phenomena of Heusler compounds. This
principle can further be used to explore other tunable
material classes, such as perovskites49–51 and shandites52–56.
Experimental signatures, such as the formation of Fermi
arcs between the two Weyl points, drumhead surface
states, the chiral anomaly and the intrinsic anomalous
and spin Hall effects (SHEs), as well as the topological
Hall effect (THE), are the direct consequences of the
non-trivial topological states in Heuslers.
Here, we outline simple rules for tuning topological
phases of Heusler compounds through Berry curvature
engineering for next-generation topological spintronic
applications. We begin by discussing the topological
properties of half-Heusler compounds, using GdPtBi
as an exemplar of a Heusler that exhibits Weyl fermions
and the associated transport properties. We then explain
the role of symmetry in tuning the band structure and
hence the Berry curvature and how a half-metallic
nodal-line semimetal can be changed to a spin gap-
less semiconductor. The importance of compensated
Reviews
ferrimagnetic Heuslers is highlighted, and we show
how their properties change across the magnetic com-
pensation point. We also discuss the special electrical
and thermal transport properties, such as the anoma-
lous, topological and thermal Hall effects, that are the
result of non-collinear ferrimagnetic and antiferro-
magnetic structures. Finally, we provide perspectives
for the future direction of the field and emphasize how
Berry curvature can be used as a guiding principle for
materials design.
Weyl semimetals in half-Heuslers
The investigation of topological insulators inspired the
application of topological band theory to semimetals and
led to the discovery of Weyl semimetals1,2. In topologi-
cal insulators, spin–orbit coupling has a crucial role in
determining the band order; this is similar to the role of
the magnetic field in producing the quantum Hall effect,
but the spin–orbit coupling does not break time-reversal
symmetry. The spin–orbit coupling energy is defined as
λ l ⃗ ⋅ s ⃗, where λ is the strength of the coupling, which
mainly depends on the mass of the elements, and l ⃗ and s ⃗
are the orbital and spin moments, respectively. The first
2D topological insulator (which was called a quantum
spin Hall insulator) was predicted in HgTe/CdTe quan-
tum wells in 2006 (ref.57) and was experimentally verified
in 2008 (ref.58) through the observation of the quan-
tized conductance. As HgTe and CdTe have opposite
band order for the s-orbital-dominated Γ6 state and the
p-orbital-dominated Γ8 state around the Fermi level,
the band order between the valence and conduction
bands near the Fermi level can be tuned by varying the
thickness of the HgTe layer in the HgTe/CdTe quan-
tum wells. When the HgTe layer is thicker than a criti­
cal value, band inversion between the Γ6 and Γ8 state
appears; this band inversion is the typical feature of a
topological phase transition between a normal insulator
and a topological insulator.
Similar to the binary zincblende semiconductors
HgTe and CdTe, the s-orbital-dominated Γ6 state and
the p-orbital-dominated Γ8 state also exist in many
half-Heusler compounds16,17,59. For these half-Heusler
compounds, the bandgap and band order can be tuned
by varying the strength of the spin–orbit coupling, the
electronegativity difference between the constituent
elements, and the lattice constants through applica-
tion of pressure or strain. Normal insulators, such as
ScPtSb, have a positive bandgap with EΓ6 – EΓ8 > 0.  By
increasing the spin–orbit interaction (by replacing
Sb with Bi), a topological phase transition, from nor-
mal insulator to topological insulator, can be induced
along with s–p band inversion. There are more than 50
Heusler compounds that have been predicted to have
non-trivial band order16,46,59, some of which have been
experimentally verified through magneto-transport
or angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy35,45,60,61
measurements.
Heusler compounds with an inverted band struc-
ture can be used to obtain a variety of other topologi-
cal states; a typical example is the Weyl semimetal. The
half-Heusler compound GdPtBi (Fig. 1a) (with a Néel
temperature TN = 9.2 K) has an electronic structure with
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inverted band order and a quadratic band touching at
the Γ point35,62,63. However, the f electrons from the Gd
ions induce magnetic ordering and enable the elec-
tronic structure to be tuned through control of the spin
orientation. Zeeman splitting causes the spin-up and
spin-down states near the Fermi level to shift in energy in
opposite directions, and Weyl points form between the
shifted spin-polarized bands (Fig. 1a,b). The Weyl semi-
metal state in GdPtBi was verified by the observation of
characteristic signatures of Weyl points, such as the chi-
ral anomaly35,63, unusual intrinsic AHE35,64, non-trivial
thermal effect63 and strong planar Hall effect62, as well
as a linear dependence of the optical conductivity on the
temperature65. In metallic compounds, applied electric
and magnetic fields affect the distribution of electrons
in the band structure, generating an electric current.
In Weyl semimetals, however, the fixed chirality of the
Weyl points results in charge carriers being pumped
from one Weyl point to the other with opposite chi-
rality by the electric current when the magnetic field
is parallel to the electric field. The transfer of charge
carriers breaks the conservation of Weyl fermions for
a given chirality, which is the so-called chiral anomaly.
The direct consequence of the chiral anomaly is negative
magnetoresistance. When a magnetic field is applied
perpendicular to the electric field, a positive magneto­
resistance is generally observed (Fig. 1c). However, in a Weyl
semimetal, when the magnetic field is applied para­
llel to the electric field, a negative magnetoresistance is
observed owing to the chiral anomaly generated by the
Weyl points (Fig. 1d).
The Seebeck effect is analogous to the longitudinal
electrical resistivity experiment, but with a thermal gra-
dient applied instead of an electrical gradient. In GdPtBi,
changes similar to those observed in the electrical resis-
tivity are also observed in the thermal resistivity when
a thermal gradient is applied parallel to the magnetic
field; this behaviour is also known as a chiral anomaly
because its origin is the same as that of the chirality of
Weyl systems63. Owing to the existence of Weyl points
around the Fermi level, a sizeable intrinsic AHC emerges
upon application of a magnetic field (Fig. 1e). With both
low charge-carrier density and small longitudinal charge
conductivity, the anomalous Hall angle can reach up to
10% in GdPtBi (refs35,64). In addition to this chiral anom-
aly and AHC, GdPtBi exhibits an anomalously large pla-
nar Hall resistivity (1.5 mΩ cm at 2 K in a 9 T magnetic
field), which is different from the Hall resistivity. In the
normal Hall effect, the applied electric current, magnetic
field and Hall voltage are mutually perpendicular to each
other, whereas in the planar Hall effect, they are in the
sample plane. Although a planar Hall signal is a func-
tion of the multiple of the sine and cosine of the applied
field, the normal Hall signal is a function of the cosine
only62,66. In any material, the planar Hall effect can be
observed if there is anisotropic magneto­resistance.
However, if Weyl points are also present and the mate-
rial shows chiral-anomaly-induced negative magneto­
resistance, the planar Hall signal is enhanced relative to
the conventional one. Therefore, in addition to negative
longitudinal magnetoresistance, a giant planar Hall
signal can also be used to identify the chiral anomaly
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a b

[111] a c b
Exchange field
EF

Y, Gd
Pt
+ Gd
Bi ( f electrons)
YPtBi GdPtBi
–Y
c d e
Transverse magnetoresistance Longitudinal magnetoresistance Anomalous Hall effect
B (chiral anomaly) V M
H

+ + + + + +
I
I I
B – – – – – –

60
2K

xy (Ω cm )
–1
I⊥B I || B 5K
40 9K

–1
15 K
20 K
ρxx (a.u.)

ρxx (a.u.)
20

∆σ AHE
30 K
0 50 K

B (a.u.) B (a.u.) 0 1 2 3 4 5
B (T)
Fig. 1 | Weyl semimetal state in GdPtBi. a | Crystal structure of the half-Heusler GdPtBi. b | The band structure evolves
from quadratic touching in YPtBi to Weyl points in GdPtBi when an external magnetic field is applied. The small green
and red spheres indicate the location of Weyl points, and the arrows show the Berry curvature distribution. c | Transverse
magnetoresistance with the applied magnetic field (B) perpendicular to the current (B⊥I; top). The plot (bottom) shows
the change in longitudinal resistivity (ρxx) as a function of B. d | Chiral-anomaly-induced negative magnetoresistance with
B||I (top). The plot (bottom) shows the change in ρxx as a function of B. e | Schematic of the anomalous Hall effect that arises
as a result of the magnetization (M) of the sample (top). An intrinsic anomalous Hall effect is found in GdPtBi as a result
AHE
of the Weyl points. The plot (bottom) shows the variation in the anomalous Hall conductivity (Δσ xy ) with B at various
temperatures for GdPtBi. EF, Fermi energy ; VH, Hall voltage. Panel e (bottom) is adapted from ref.35.

in Weyl semimetals. Thus, by extending the topologi-
cal band theory from insulating to metallic systems,
we explain the formation of the Weyl semimetal state in
the half-Heusler compound GdPtBi.
Half-metal to spin gapless
We discuss below how a half-metallic Heusler compound
can be converted into a spin gapless semiconductor using
suitable symmetry engineering (Fig. 2). The concept of
half-metallic ferromagnetism was first introduced in 1983
(ref.67), and the concept of a spin gapless semiconductor
was introduced in 2008 (ref.68). In a half-metal, ferromag-
netic exchange splits the spin channels, resulting in one
spin-polarized electron channel that is either insulating or
semiconducting and one that is metallic (Fig. 2a). However,
in a spin gapless semiconductor, the minority spin channel
is insulating, similar to half-metallic compounds, but the
majority spin channel possesses a vanishingly small gap
at the Fermi energy (Fig. 2d). Because of the tunability of
Heusler compounds, a half-metallic nodal-line semimetal
can be readily changed into a spin gapless semiconductor.
In half-metallic regular-Heusler compounds, symme-
try has an important role in stabilizing topological states,
in which band crossings are derived from the bands with
either the same or opposite spin polarization69,70. The
half-metallic electronic structure of Heusler compounds
gives rise to several useful properties. For example,
the spin orientation can be easily altered by a small
external magnetic field because most cubic half-metallic
ferromagnets are soft magnets. The magnetic transition
temperature of these half-metals is quite high, making
them suitable for room-temperature topological spin-
tronics applications37,71,72. Finally, the band structures and
symmetry elements of Heusler compounds can be tuned
through appropriate chemical substitution4. Therefore,
the Berry curvature distribution can be easily varied,
and the AHE tuned from zero to a very large value27,36,74.
Co2TiSn is an example of a half-metallic ferromagnet
for which topological surface states were recently pre-
dicted26. In Co2TiSn, mirror-symmetry protected band
crossings occur between the valence and conduction
bands close to the Fermi level (Fig. 2b). When bands of
opposite eigenvalues cross, a nodal line is formed. Three
such nodal lines form around the Г point in the kx, ky and kz
planes and are protected by the mirror symmetries Mx, My
and Mz of the Fm 3 m ̄ space group of Co2TiSn. Upon con-
sidering spin–orbit coupling in density functional theory
calculations, the electron spin is no longer a good quantum
number, and the crystal symmetry changes depending on
the direction of the magnetization. For example, if a sam-
ple is magnetized along the [001] direction, the Mx and
My mirror symmetries are broken. Therefore, the nodal
lines will open up unless certain symmetries remain that
protect the band crossings away from the Fermi energy.

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a b Co2TiSn (majority ↑) c such a way that inversion and mirror symmetries of a
E
2 2
e
1
E (k) – EF (eV)
E – EF (eV)
EF 0 0
t2g
–1
e Mn2CoAl. Therefore, there are gaps between the nodal
t2g
–2 –2
Γ KW L Γ X –20 –10
Half-metal k σ xy (102 Ω–1 cm–1)
kz
ky kx
d e f unit), the AHC nearly compensates around the Fermi
E Mn2CoAl (majority ↑)
2 2
e 1
E (k) – EF (eV)
E – EF (eV)
EF 0 0
t2
–1
e devices as well as for spin manipulation applications10,67,77.
–2 –2
Γ KW L Γ X –20 –10
Spin gapless
semiconductor k σ xy (102 Ω–1 cm–1)
Fig. 2 | influence of symmetry and Berry curvature on the anomalous Hall effect.
a | Schematic density of states for a half-metallic ferromagnet. b,c | The band structure
and energy-dependent anomalous Hall conductivity (σxy) of the half-metallic Heusler
Co2TiSn are shown in panels b and c, respectively. The shaded circles highlight the band
crossings protected by the mirror symmetries of the regular-Heusler structure.
Theoretical calculations without considering the spin–orbit coupling indicate that three
nodal lines form around the Г point, as shown in the inset. d | Schematic density of states
for a spin gapless semiconductor. e,f | The band structure and calculated energy-dependent
anomalous Hall conductivity of the spin gapless Heusler Mn2CoAl are shown in panels e
and f, respectively. The shaded circles highlight that owing to the absence of the associated
mirror symmetry in the inverse-Heusler structure, the band crossings in panel b are no
longer protected. E, energy ; EF, Fermi energy ; k, momentum.
As a consequence, at least two Weyl points form along the
kz axis, leading to a finite AHC. For example, an intrinsic
AHC of ~120 Ω−1 cm−1 has been calculated for the fully
stoichiometric Co2TiSn compound (Fig. 2c). Depending on
the details of the linear band crossings, such as the proxi­
mity of the nodal line to the Fermi energy and its disper-
sion, the AHC in topological Heuslers can range from
~100 Ω−1 cm−1 in Co2TiSn to ~2,000 Ω−1 cm−1 in Co2MnAl
(ref.36). The high AHE in Co2MnAl was identified in 2012
from Berry curvature calculations36 and agrees well with
experiments37. However, the connection between the
enhancement of Berry curvature and Weyl points or nodal
lines was recognized only later75.
Through engineering of the composition of Heusler
compounds, it is possible to tune a half-metallic Weyl
semimetal into a spin gapless semiconductor with
the same magnetization. It has been shown that it
is possible to maintain the same number of valence
electrons (NV) and to reduce the crystal symmetry in
© 2018 Macmillan Publishers Limited, part of Springer Nature. All rights reserved.
regular-Heusler are broken. For example, Mn2CoAl is an
inverse-Heusler that adopts the F 43̄ m space group and
has the same number of valence electrons (NV = 26) as the
regular-Heusler compound Co2TiSn. Mn2CoAl belongs
to the special class of materials known as spin gapless
semiconductors76. Owing to the non-centrosymmetric
crystal structure, the mirror planes Mx, My and Mz
that are present in the regular-Heusler do not exist in
lines, and upon incorporating spin–orbit coupling,
0 10 20 no Weyl points form. Hence, the band structure of
Mn2CoAl does not show any topologically protected
crossings (Fig. 2e). For spin gapless semiconductors,
the AHE shows an unusual behaviour. Although the
materials can be highly magnetic (for example, the sat-
uration magnetization of Mn2CoAl is 2 μB per formula
energy (Fig. 2f), which is in contrast to the longstanding
belief that large magnetic moments always accompany
a strong AHE. The predicted zero AHE was also found
experimentally in Mn2CoGa (ref.27).
AHE in compensated ferrimagnets
Half-metallic materials are a natural source of spin-
polarized current. Therefore, they are useful in spin­tronic
However, ferromagnetic or ferrimagnetic compounds
have a major drawback: the net dipolar moment hinders
0 10 20
the performance of nearby device arrays or the multilayer
bits in spintronic chips. Materials with zero net magnetic
moment are therefore in high demand78,79. Half-metallic
antiferromagnets that are stable in external magne­
tic fields are natural choices80,81. Unfortunately, the
realization of such compounds remains a challenge,
because antiferromagnetic (AFM) order requires both
spin channels to have an identical band structure.
The overall magnetic structure of Heusler com-
pounds can be tuned by suitable chemical substitu-
tion in different magnetic sublattices. Therefore, the
ground-state magnetic behaviour can be changed from
ferromagnetic to ferrimagnetic or to completely com-
pensated. Because the magnetism of all these Heusler
compounds generally follows the Slater–Pauling rule,
the magnetic moment can be calculated by MS = NV – 24
(ref.82). Recently, a half-metallic, completely compen-
sated ferrimagnetic state was reported in the Heusler
alloy Mn1.5V0.5FeAl, which has a cubic L21 crystal struc-
ture83–85. Moreover, through tuning the composition,
the magnetic compensation temperature (TMC) in this
Mn–Fe–V–Al system can be changed from 0 K to 226 K
(ref.84). The AHE of these compounds has interesting
features, which we compare with the characteristics of
the pure AFM compound Ru2MnSi below.
Ru2MnSi has a L21 crystal structure (Fig. 3a) and also
possesses a so-called second kind of AFM structure in
which the four constituent cubic sublattices follow a
checkerboard-like AFM order86. The AHC contributions
from the spin-up and spin-down channels cancel because
of the combined time-reversal and glide-symmetry
operations, resulting in zero AHC (Fig.  3b) over the
entire energy range at any temperature. However, for
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a b the sample is field cooled from the high-temperature

Ru Mn Si 6 paramagnetic state (Fig. 3d), and the magnetic moment is
Total zero at TMC. At all other temperatures, magnetization of
one sublattice dominates, and the magnetization of the
3
sample acquires a non-zero value accordingly. The AHC

σxy (102 Ω–1 cm–1)

of these compensated ferrimagnetic Heuslers scales
0 with the magnetization of the sample. Therefore, the
Hall conductivity changes sign following magnetization
of the dominating sublattice and acquires a zero value
–3
only at TMC. However, in topological materials with spe-
Antiferromagnet cial band structures, such as Weyl points or nodal lines,
Ru2MnSi
–6 the AHE can behave differently. Because of the large
–2 –1 0 1 2
E – EF (eV)
net Berry curvature between the Weyl points39 and low
c d charge-carrier density, a strong AHE and large anoma-
Mn/Fe Mn/V Al
lous Hall angle29 are predicted in the compensated spin
gapless inverse-Heusler compound Ti2MnAl. Owing to
the zero net magnetic moment with TN ≈ 650 K (ref.87),
Ti2MnAl can be viewed as an artificial AFM suitable for
M (arb. units)

ρxy (arb. units)

0
room-temperature spintronics applications.
In contrast to the cubic Heuslers, tetragonal Heusler
compounds do not show half-metallicity but still have
a high spin polarization resulting from a pseudogap in
one spin direction88,89. However, because of the large
magnetocrystalline anisotropy and high Curie tem-
0 100 200 300
Mn1.5V0.3Fe1.2Al T (K) perature, tetragonal Heuslers have an important role as
permanent magnets and in spin-transfer torque-related
e f spintronic applications89–93. Mn-based compounds are
Mn/Pt Mn Ga generally ferrimagnetic in nature and crystalize in the
0.5 8 I4/mmm space group94,95, in which the Mn atoms reside
in two different crystallographic positions with differ-
0.0 6 ent magnetic moments. By suitable chemical substitu-
tion, a completely compensated ferrimagnetic state can
Mres (µB/f.u.)

µ0HEB (T)

–0.5 4 be obtained, such as in Mn3−xYxGa (where Y = Ni, Cu,

–1.0
–1.5
0.0 0.2 0.4
Mn3–xPtxGa Mn3Ga Pt content, x
Fig. 3 | effect of magnetic compensation on the magnetization and transport
properties of full-Heuslers. a | The crystal structure and spin configuration of
antiferromagnetic Ru2MnSi. b | The plot shows the energy dependence of the anomalous
Hall effect (where σxy is the anomalous Hall conductivity) of Ru2MnSi. c | The crystal
structure of the compensated ferrimagnetic Mn1.5V0.3Fe1.2Al. d | A comparative plot of the
temperature (T)-dependent Hall resistivity (ρxy) and magnetization (M) in Mn1.5V0.3Fe1.2Al.
e | The crystal structure of the tetragonal ferrimagnetic Mn3−xPtxGa. f | The plot shows
how the residual magnetization (Mres) and corresponding exchange bias (μ0HEB, where μ0
is the magnetic permeability of free space and HEB is the exchange bias field) in Mn3−xPtxGa
vary as a function of the Pt content. E, energy ; EF, Fermi energy; f.u., formula unit. Panel d is
adapted from ref.84, CC-BY-4.0. Panel f is adapted from ref.94, Springer Nature Limited.
compensated ferrimagnets, the net AHC depends on the
details of the sublattice magnetization; the various atoms
carry different magnetic moments and may exhibit une-
qual site-specific magnetic moments. This can be exem-
plified with the isostructural compound Mn1.5V0.3Fe1.2Al
(Fig. 3c), which shows magnetic compensation of the
sublattices at TMC ≈ 194 K (refs83,84). In this example, Mn,
V and Fe carry finite magnetic moments, whereas Mn
has a site-specific magnetic moment (~1.38 μB in the 4d
crystal site and ~−2.86 μB in the 4b site). The total mag-
netization of Mn1.5V0.3Fe1.2Al changes sign below TMC as
Rh, Pd, Ag, Ir, Pt or Au)96. In tetragonal Mn3−xPtxGa,
2 the two symmetry-inequivalent Mn atoms (Fig. 3e) pos-
sess different magnetic moments of 3.1 μB and 2.1 μB.
0
Depending on the concentration of the non-magnetic
0.6 0.8 1.0 atom Pt, the net magnetization changes from ferrimag-
Mn2PtGa netic to completely compensated at x ≈ 0.6 (Fig. 3f). In
Mn3−xPtxGa, the microscopic segregation of defect fer-
romagnetic phases influences the physical properties
on a macroscopic level. For example, an extremely large
exchange bias of up to several Tesla has been reported in
Mn3−xPtxGa compounds, with a maximum at around the
magnetic compensation composition94 (Fig. 3f).
Hall effects in non-collinear AFMs
Anomalous and spin Hall effects. For a long time, it
was believed that an AHE cannot exist in AFM materials
owing to the zero net magnetic moment. As the intrinsic
AHE is understood as the integral over the Berry cur-
vature in k-space and the Berry curvature is odd under
time-reversal operation, an AHE can exist only in sys-
tems with broken time-reversal symmetry. In collin-
ear AFMs, the combined symmetry of time reversal T
and a space group operation O  will change the sign of
⃗ Ok ⃗ )), leading to a
the Berry curvature (Ω i (k ) = −Ω i (T
vanishing AHC despite the broken time-reversal sym-
metry, which is attributable to the magnetic ordering.
However, in certain non-collinear AFMs, the symmetry
to reverse the sign of the Berry curvature is absent, and
a non-zero AHE can appear.

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Reviews

a b σH

B||a, b

b B||c
a c B
b a

Mn3Ge, Sn (P63/mmc)

c d
Rh 180 K
Mn 150 K

ρxyTHE (arb. units)

M (arb. units)
Sn 120 K
TR
Mn 100 K
50 K
20 K

TR 2K

0 100 200 300 400 0.0 0.2 0.4 0.6

–
Mn2RhSn (I4m2) T (K) μ0H (T)
Fig. 4 | Non-collinear spin structures. a | Hexagonal lattice structure and triangular magnetics in Mn3Ge and Mn3Sn.
The left part shows the triangular spin arrangements of the Mn ions along the c axis. The right part shows how the
triangular magnetics are distributed in the unit cell. The green line represents the glide mirror plane [My ∣(0, 0, c )].
2
b | Schematic of the anomalous Hall conductivity (σH) when a magnetic field (B) is applied either parallel or
perpendicular to the c axis. c | The crystal structure and non-collinear spin structure of Mn2RhSn. d | Plots showing
the temperature (T) dependence of the magnetization (M) and field (μ0H, where μ0 is the magnetic permeability
THE
of free space and H is the magnetic field) dependence of the topological Hall effect (ρxy ) in Mn2RhSn. Below the
spin-reorientation transition temperature (TR), Mn2RhSn has a non-collinear spin structure. ρxy, Hall resistivity ; THE,
topological Hall effect. Panel d (left) is adapted with permission from ref.136, American Physical Society. Panel d (right)
is adapted from ref.133, CC-BY-3.0.

Non-collinear AFM order was first described and
measured in 1968 for the cubic compounds Mn3Rh and
Mn3Pt (ref.97). A similar spin structure was later observed
in the hexagonal series of Mn3X (where X = Ga, Ge or Sn)
compounds98–101. These early investigations invoked the
Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction 102,103 to explain
the triangular order — a special case of non-collinear
order observed in neutron diffraction experiments
(Fig. 4a). The first ab initio density functional theory cal-
culations investigating non-collinear magnetism were
reported in 1988 (ref.104) and succeeded in explaining the
observed non-collinear order. Density functional theory
was also used to obtain the hexagonal Mn3Sn structure
and to analyse the triangular magnetic ground-state
structure105. In 1996, the weak ferromagnetism in Mn3Sn
was explained as being derived from a negative chirality
spin structure106.
A non-zero AHE was predicted in non-coplanar
AFMs in face-centred-cubic lattices in 2001 (ref.107)
through Berry phase calculations and in non-collinear
antiferromagnetic cubic Mn3Ir in 2014 (ref.108). However,
AHE in Mn3Ir has not yet been experimentally realized.
Theoretical studies of the stability of cubic, tetrago-
nal and hexagonal phases of Mn3X (X = Ga, Sn or Ge)
Heusler compounds motivated a series of theoretical
studies109, which led to the prediction of the AHE in hex-
agonal Mn3Sn and Mn3Ge (ref.110). Soon after this pre-
diction, a large AHE was experimentally verified in both
Mn3Sn and Mn3Ge hexagonal antiferromagnets111–113.
Unlike conventional ferromagnets, the AHC does
not scale with magnetization. With a small applied
magnetic field, the staggered moments of the AFM
order rotate, changing the sign of the AHE (Fig. 4b). The
AHC can be viewed as a vector in three dimensions,
with the non-zero components being determined by
symmetry. Both Mn3Ge and Mn3Sn exhibit a triangular
AFM structure with TN above 365 K, and the magnetic
structure is symmetric with respect to the glide mirror
operation [M y∣(0, 0, 2c )] (refs111,112) (Fig. 4a; left panel).
Under this symmetry operation, the two components
of Berry curvature Ωx and Ωz change sign, whereas
Ωy does not. As a consequence, the two components
of AHC σx and σz are zero, and only a non-zero com-
ponent σy survives for the type of order observed in
Mn3Ge (Fig. 4a). Here, the x and z axes are along the
crystallographic a and c directions, respectively, and
the y axis is mutually perpendicular. This scheme is
true only for the particular spin configuration shown in
Fig. 4a. However, small magnetic fields can reorient the
triangular spins in the xy plane owing to the residual
c
magnetic moment. This breaks the [M y∣(0, 0, 2 )] sym-
metry, divulging a non-zero value of σx and σy, whereas
σ z remains zero owing to the M ZT symmetry 112,114
(where Mz is a mirror reflection and T is time rever-
sal). Therefore, a non-zero AHE can be obtained only
when the magnetic field is applied perpendicular to the
c axis (Fig. 4b). The order observed in Mn3Ge (Fig. 4a)
is of negative chirality and therefore will neces­sarily

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be accompanied by a small ferromagnetic component
owing to orbital magnetism106. Another type of order
is obtained from that in Mn3Ge by rotating all mag-
netic moments by 90°; this order is also of negative chi-
rality and is believed to be the correct one for Mn3Sn
(ref.115). As there is a weak net moment (~0.01 μB per
Mn atom) out of the a–b plane, a very small AHC was
also detected for B||c but is several orders of magnitude
smaller than that for the B⊥a configuration114,115.
The SHE is another important member in the family
of Hall effects37. Owing to the net spin current in the
absence of magnetic moments, the SHE is an important
phenomenon for potential application in spintronics,
such as for magnetoresistive random-access memory
(MRAM). In the SHE, an electric current is passed
through a sample leading to a pure spin current, which
is polarized perpendicular to the plane defined by the
charge and spin current (Box 2; see the figure, ‘spin hall
effect’ for Mn3Ge). The SHE has several similarities
with the AHE, and its existence relies on the breaking
of spin-rotational symmetry usually as a result of the
spin–orbit coupling. A strong SHE can normally be
observed in compounds with heavy transition metals116.
In general, the SHE has intrinsic and extrinsic contri-
butions in both magnetic and nonmagnetic systems.
As for the AHE, the intrinsic contribution to the SHE
can also be obtained through the integral of spin Berry
curvature115–117. For some non-collinear antiferromag-
nets, SHE can exist without the need for spin–orbit cou-
pling. Within these peculiar systems, the spin-rotational
symmetry is broken by the non-collinear spin texture.
For example, the spin-rotational symmetry is broken in
non-collinear Mn3Sn and Mn3Ge (Box 2; see the figure,
‘spin hall effect’). Owing to this special chiral spin struc-
ture symmetry, which breaks spin-rotation symmetry,
a strong SHE can exist in non-collinear antiferromag-
nets, such as Mn3Ga, Mn3Ge and Mn3Sn (refs115,118).
Understanding of the interplay between non-collinear
spin structure and SHE provides a guideline in the
search for new materials with large SHE based on light
elements. Recently, a strong SHE was observed in chi-
ral AFM Mn3Ir, with the spin Hall angle reaching val-
ues of up to ~35%119. Apart from the AHE and SHE,
non-collinear antiferromagnets host another interest-
ing phenomenon — spin-polarized114 charge currents.
Similar to the AHE, in collinear antiferromagnets,
spin-polarized current is forbidden by symmetry. This
makes non-collinear antiferromagnets uniquely suited
for spintronic applications.
Table 1 | summary of the various types of skyrmions observed in different compounds
allowed point type of skyrmion
group symmetry
T Bloch
O Bloch
Cnv (n ≥ 3) Néel
D2d Antiskyrmion
D2d Predicted antiskyrmion
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Reviews
Anomalous off-diagonal thermal and thermoelectric
effects. Berry curvature does not only affect electric
transport; the dissipationless transverse charge flow also
produces off-diagonal thermal and thermoelectric sig-
nals, resulting in anomalous thermal Hall and anoma-
lous Nernst effects120. Both of these effects have recently
been explored for hexagonal Mn3Sn (refs121,122), and the
Nernst and thermal Hall effects follow the magnetic field
dependence shown in Fig. 4b, with the thermal Hall coef-
ficient κxz or the Nernst coefficient Sxz, respectively, replac-
ing the anomalous Hall conductivity σH on the y axis of Fig.
4b. The important conclusion from the work on hexago-
nal Mn3Sn (ref.121) is that the Wiedemann–Franz law holds
in such systems, and therefore, the anomalous electric and
thermal Hall currents are carried by quasiparticles at the
Fermi surface39. In the case of the AHE of Mn3Sn (and
most likely also of Mn3Ge), inelastic scattering has no role.
As explained above, materials with a large AHE usually
have topologically non-trivial electronic band structures,
and in the case of Mn3Sn and Mn3Ge, it has been shown
that Weyl points contribute dominantly to the AHE114,124.
The interplay between anomalous transport effects and
topological order is another interesting avenue for the
discovery of new topological states of matter.
Antiskyrmions and the topological Hall effect. Apart
from a non-zero AHE, Heusler compounds with a
non-collinear spin structure also host real-space topo­
logical states, such as magnetic skyrmions. Magnetic
skyrmions, first predicted to exist in 1989 (ref.125), are
particle-like vortex spin textures surrounded by chiral
boundaries that are separated from a region of reversed
magnetization and are found in magnetic materials126–129.
For magnetic skyrmions, the topological skyrmion num-
ber, which is defined in real space, measures the winding
of the magnetization direction wrapped around the unit
sphere and can take integer values only. The mechanism
of the formation and stabilization of skyrmions can be
understood in terms of a competition between the ferro-
magnetic exchange and the relativistic Dzyaloshinskii–
Moriya interaction in non-centrosymmetric magnets.
The typical size of a skyrmion can range from 1 to
100 nm, which enables the manipulation of many inter-
nal degrees of freedom. Owing to the magnetoelectric
coupling, it is possible to control skyrmion transport in
spintronics devices with an external electric field with
low energy consumption.
Depending on the spin rotation, skyrmions can be
classified into two fundamental types: Bloch skyrmions
Compounds
FeGe (ref.144), MnSi (ref.145), MnGe (ref.146), Fe0.5Co0.5Si (ref.147)
and Cu2OSeO3 (ref.148)
Co10Zn10 (ref.149) and Co10−xZn10−xMn2x (x = 1, 2) (refs150,151)
GaV4S8 (ref.152) and VOSe2O5 (ref.153)
Mn1.4PtSn (ref.128) and Mn1.4Pt0.9Pd0.1Sn (ref.128)
Mn2RhSn (refs133,136), CuFeS2 (refs131,154), Cu2FeSnSe4 (refs131,155)
and Cu2Mn1−xCoxSnS4 (refs131,156)
Reviews

a RSMz Si b
2,000
Slope = R0 Co2MnAl

1,500

|σxyAHE| (Ω–1 cm–1)

|ρxy| (arb. units)
Mn3Ge
1,000

GdPtBi
500

MnSi 0

0 0 1 2 3 4 5 6
0
µ0H (arb. units) M (µB/f.u.)

Co2MnAl Mn3Ge Co2TiSn Co2MnGa Mn3Sn Co2FeSi Rh2MnAl Mn2CoAl Co2CrSi

Co2MnIn CoVTiAl Co2CrGe Co2VSn Co2VGa Co2MnSi Co2MnGe CoFeCrGa Co2MnSn
Co2CrAl Co2CrGa Co2FeAl CoFeMnSi

Fig. 5 | tuning the anomalous Hall effect through the Berry curvature. a | The plot of Hall resistivity (ρxy) versus the
magnetic field (μ0H, where μ0 is the magnetic permeability of free space and H is the magnetic field) reveals the nature of the
Hall effect in various compounds discussed in this Review. Non-topological and paramagnetic Si does not show any
anomalous Hall effect (AHE). An AHE resulting from the momentum-space Berry curvature effect is observed in
ferromagnetic Co2MnAl and antiferromagnetic Mn3Ge. A topological Hall effect is observed in GdPtBi owing to the
momentum-space Berry curvature effect (Weyl fermion) and in MnSi owing to the real-space Berry curvature effect
AHE
(skyrmion). b | Plot of the anomalous Hall conductivity (Δσ xy ) versus the magnetization (M) of various Heusler compounds.
It is important to note that the anomalous Hall conductivity in topological Heuslers does not scale with the magnetization
of the sample. The magnitude of the anomalous Hall conductivity depends on the dispersion of the topological states,
such as nodal lines and Weyl points, and how far the states reside from the Fermi energy (as indicated by the crossings of the
inset blue and yellow bands; the black line is the Fermi energy). f.u., formula unit; Mz, sample magnetization; R0, ordinary
Hall coefficient; RS, anomalous Hall coefficient.

and Néel skyrmions126. Another proposed type of skyr-
mion — the antiskyrmion — has boundary domain
walls that alternate between the Bloch and Néel type as
one traces around the boundary128,130,131. Bloch and Néel
skyrmions were first observed in B20 crystals and polar
magnets with Cnv symmetry, respectively. However,
despite antiskyrmions having been predicted to exist
in Co/Pt multilayers and B20 compounds (that is, com-
pounds with the P213 space group for which FeSi is the
prototype), they have not yet been experimentally veri­
fied. Recently, however, by following theoretical pre-
dictions and symmetry analyses, antiskyrmions were
observed for the first time in inverse tetragonal acentric
Mn–Pt–Sn Heusler compounds with D2d symmetry128.
The three types of skyrmions have now been reported
(or predicted) in numerous compounds (Table 1).
Owing to the large magnetocrystalline anisotropy
of tetragonal Heusler compounds, the preferred spin
orientation can be switched from in-plane to out-of-
plane by a suitable tetragonal distortion. Therefore, it
is possible to arrive at a situation for which the aniso-
tropy energy is such that the spin structure stabilizes
in a non-collinear fashion. Antiskyrmion phases are
proposed to form in many tetragonal Heusler com-
pounds with D2d crystal symmetry. Owing to the strong
Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction in the tetrago-
nal Mn–Pt–Sn Heusler compounds, the magnetic
moments of the Mn atoms, which are in two inequiva-
lent crystallographic positions, twist in such a way that
a helimag­netic structure is obtained. However, owing to
the constraints of the D2d crystal symmetry, ferromag-
netic order is restricted to the tetragonal basal plane.
Because of the superimposed effect of the strong mag-
netocrystalline anisotropy, the antiskyrmionic states
stabilize when a magnetic field is applied along the
crystallographic c axis128. Skyrmionic spin structures
can be directly detected by various techniques, such as
small-angle neutron scattering, Lorentz transmission
electron microscopy and magnetic force microscopy.
Furthermore, the existence of skyrmions can also be
identified from the distinct transport signals.
As discussed above, the Hall effect is one of the most
powerful tools for probing various exotic physical char-
acteristics of materials. The Hall resistivity is usually
expressed as ρxy = ρORD + ρAHE + ρTopo, where ρORD is the lin-
ear Hall contribution, ρAHE is the AHE contribution due
to finite magnetization and ρTopo is the THE due to the
real-space Berry curvature, which originates from fac-
tors such as skyrmion formation. The THE is considered
to be one of the most important features of skyrmion
formation and is widely used for the confirmation of
skyrmions in transport experiments132–135. The tetragonal
Heusler compound Mn2RhSn has a ferrimagnetic transi-
tion temperature of ~270 K and upon cooling undergoes
a spin-reorientation transition at temperatures below
100 K, resulting in a non-collinear spin structure136,137
(Fig. 4c). Transport measurements on Mn2RhSn thin films
reveal a large THE below the spin-reorientation transi-
tion at 100 K (ref.133) (Fig. 4d). Motivated by this large THE
in the parent compound Mn2RhSn, a series of chemical
substitutions were subsequently performed128, leading to
the discovery of an antiskyrmionic state in the tetragonal
Heusler Mn–Pt–Pd–Sn by Lorentz transmission electron
microscopy.

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Conclusions and future perspectives
Berry curvature has a fundamental role in determin-
ing topological states and their properties. From a
symmetry point of view, Berry curvature is odd under
the time-reversal operation and is even with respect
to the inversion symmetry operation. Hence, to observe
the effects of Berry curvature, one needs to break
either the time-reversal or inversion symmetry, which
is also a requirement for the existence of a Weyl semi-
metal. In half-Heusler and inverse-Heusler compounds,
the inversion symmetry is naturally broken owing to the
crystal symmetry of the 216 space group. In addition,
the long-range magnetic ordering breaks the time-
reversal symmetry and induces various types of Hall
effects. The crystal symmetry can therefore indicate the
possible existence of Berry curvature in a compound,
but the magnitude of the Berry curvature depends on
the details of the magnetic and electronic structures,
which can be optimized by tuning various parameters
in the materials. Owing to the high tunability of Heusler
compounds, the combination of Berry curvature with
symmetry, electron configuration and the strength of
spin–orbit coupling, many topological states can be
obtained, from topological insulators to magnetic Weyl
semimetals. Using Heusler compounds as the material
platform, various topological properties (such as surface
states, transport properties and optical properties) that
are important for a comprehensive understanding as
well as the exploration of their applications have been
systematically studied.
Of the various types of Hall effect, the AHE and
THE are the two most important branches of Hall
physics. Their application may provide new directions
for obtaining spintronic devices for information stor-
age and possibly other applications, such as sensors
and ultrafast logic devices. Owing to the tunability of
their magnetic and electronic structures, Heusler com-
pounds not only provide numerous candidates for the
realization of different Hall effects but also offer new
insight into the understanding of the fundamental
physical principles involved in both AHE and THE.
It has long been believed that in ferromagnetic or fer-
rimagnetic materials with finite magnetization, the
Hall conductivity scales with sample magnetization37.
However, from the large AHE in the non-collinear
antiferromagnets Mn3Ge and Mn3Sn, we learn that
the AHE can be observed in systems with vanishing
net magnetic moments, for which the only variable is
the symmetry-dependent Berry curvature distribution
(Fig. 5a). The formation of skyrmions in MnSi results in
a non-collinear spin texture that gives rise to a distinct
THE, which is known as the real-space Berry curvature
effect134. Interestingly, this THE can also arise because
of momentum-space Berry curvature, as occurs in
the AFM half-Heusler GdPtBi, in which Weyl points
form close to the Fermi energy in an external magnetic
field35,64. By plotting the AHC versus the magnetic
moments of various Heusler compounds (Fig. 5b), we
show that the AHC does not scale with sample mag-
netization but acquires a large value if the material pos-
sesses a topologically non-trivial band structure, such as
nodal lines or Weyl points. The distance of the topologi­
cal states from the Fermi energy in the band structure
modifies the transport characteristics.
From a topological point of view, it has been exper-
imentally verified that Heusler compounds host a vari-
ety of non-trivial states, such as topological insulators,
Weyl semimetals, nodal-line semimetals and magnetic
skyrmions. Moreover, many topological states have been
proposed but not yet verified, such as triple points138, topo­
logical superconductors14,15, Majorana fermions46,139,140
and Dirac semimetals141, which need further extensive
investigation. Heusler compounds provide a perfect plat-
form for understanding the interplay between the topo­
logy, crystal structure and various physical properties3,13.
With their tunable band structure, the Hall conductivity
and charge-carrier density of Heuslers can be adjusted to
obtain giant anomalous Hall angles, which might lead
to the realization of the long-expected quantum AHE at
room temperature in thin Heusler films.
Published online xx xx xxxx

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Acknowledgements
This work was financially supported by the European
Research Council (ERC) Advanced Grant No. 291472
(Idea Heusler), ERC Advanced Grant No. 742068 (TOPMAT)
and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft under
Sonderforschungsbereich 1143.
Author contributions
All authors made a substantial contribution to the discussion
of content. K.M., Y.S., L.M. and C.F. researched data for the
article. K.M., Y.S. and L.M. wrote the article, and C.F. and J.K.
reviewed and edited the manuscript before submission.
Competing interests
The authors declare no competing interests.
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