Abstract: Antiferromagnets (AFM) are materials with spontaneously long-range ordered magnetic moments and zero (or small) net magnetic moment. They received considerable attention over the past few years due to stability in external magnetic fields and switching timescale in the THz range, which makes them potentially convenient to use in memory devices. However, zero net magnetization makes it extremely difficult to probe AFM order and determine magnetic domains using conventional magnetometers and magnetic resonance techniques. In this talk, I will introduce some optical techniques allowing to probe AFM domains and determine Nèel vector orientation, briefly discuss ways to switch AFM order using DC and strong THz pulses, and present a few experimental studies on AFM materials.
