  Antiferromagnetic materials, which have drawn considerable attention
recently, have fascinating features: they are robust against perturbation,
produce no stray fields, and exhibit ultrafast dynamics. Discerning how to
efficiently manipulate the magnetic state of an antiferromagnet is key to the
development of antiferromagnetic spintronics. In this review, we introduce four
main methods (magnetic, strain, electrical, and optical) to mediate the
magnetic states and elaborate on intrinsic origins of different
antiferromagnetic materials. Magnetic control includes a strong magnetic field,
exchange bias, and field cooling, which are traditional and basic. Strain
control involves the magnetic anisotropy effect or metamagnetic transition.
Electrical control can be divided into two parts, electric field and electric
current, both of which are convenient for practical applications. Optical
control includes thermal and electronic excitation, an inertia-driven
mechanism, and terahertz laser control, with the potential for ultrafast
antiferromagnetic manipulation. This review sheds light on effective usage of
antiferromagnets and provides a new perspective on antiferromagnetic
spintronics.

Materials Science