LAUSR

Significance Understanding the mutual influence between magnetic and topological properties in a solid system is a fundamental challenge for quantum materials research. The so-called axion insulator is one such case, with exotic properties related to the magnetoelectric effect. In this work, by combining chemical and magnetic-state sensitive electron and X-ray spectroscopies with first-principle calculations we reveal that EuSn2P2 holds the characteristics of an axion insulator and displays “hidden” electronic properties arising from its layer-dependent ferromagnetic character. As a function of the termination, we observe specific electronic states, holding a spin arrangement representative of a topological insulator. Furthermore, the direction of magnetization enables topological protection, a key property related to axion-based physics. We unravel the interplay of topological properties and the layered (anti)ferromagnetic ordering in EuSn2P2, using spin and chemical selective electron and X-ray spectroscopies supported by first-principle calculations. We reveal the presence of in-plane long-range ferromagnetic order triggering topological invariants and resulting in the multiple protection of topological Dirac states. We provide clear evidence that layer-dependent spin-momentum locking coexists with ferromagnetism in this material, a cohabitation that promotes EuSn2P2 as a prime candidate axion insulator for topological antiferromagnetic spintronics applications.