Researcher Abdelghani Laraoui and his team have used diamond nitrogen-vacancy (NV) microscopy to directly image boundary magnetization in antiferromagnetic Cr₂O₃ thin films, revealing a correlation between magnetic domain size and structural grain size.

Through field cooling, they demonstrated how an external magnetic field can influence the selection of 180° antiferromagnetic domains, a process linked to weak parasitic magnetization from defects. Additionally, by nanostructuring the films into mesa structures, they observed reversible edge magnetic states, which change direction based on the applied field during cooling.

This work provides valuable insights into antiferromagnetic domain formation and control, highlighting NV microscopy as an effective tool for studying nanoscale magnetism in spintronic materials.