We unravel the origin of current-induced magnetic switching of insulating antiferromagnet/heavy metal systems. We utilize concurrent transport and magneto-optical measurements to image the switching of antiferromagnetic domains in specially engineered devices of NiO/Pt bilayers. Different electrical pulsing and device geometries reveal different final states of the switching with respect to the current direction. We can explain these through simulations of the temperature-induced strain, and we identify the thermomagnetoelastic switching mechanism combined with thermal excitations as the origin, in which the final state is defined by the strain distributions and heat is required to switch the antiferromagnetic domains. We show that such a potentially very versatile noncontact mechanism can explain the previously reported contradicting observations of the switching final state, which were attributed to spin-orbit torque mechanisms.

Advanced Science Research Center Japan Atomic Energy Agency Tokai 319 1195 Japan

Center for Spintronics Research Network Tohoku University Sendai 980 8577 Japan

Centro de Investigación en Química Biolóxica e Materiais Moleculares Departamento de Química Física Universidade de Santiago de Compostela Santiago de Compostela 15782 Spain

Department of Applied Physics The University of Tokyo Tokyo 113 8656 Japan

Graduate School of Excellence Materials Science in Mainz 55128 Mainz Germany

Institut of Physics Academy of Sciences of the Czech Republic Praha 11720 Czech Republic

Institute for Materials Research Tohoku University Sendai 980 8577 Japan

Institute of Physics Johannes Gutenberg University Mainz 55128 Mainz Germany

WPI Advanced Institute for Materials Research Tohoku University Sendai 980 8577 Japan

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