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Electrical Switching of Altermagnetism.
Yiyuan Chen1, Xiaoxiong Liu1, Hai-Zhou Lu1,2
1Southern University of Science and Technology (SUSTech), State Key Laboratory of Quantum Functional Materials, Department of Physics, and Guangdong Basic Research Center of Excellence for Quantum Science, Shenzhen 518055, China.
Physical Review Letters
|July 31, 2025
Summary
Researchers discovered that altermagnetism, a novel magnetic state, can enable deterministic electrical switching of magnetism. MnTe bilayers were identified as promising materials for this application, paving the way for advanced spintronic devices.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Spintronics
Background:
- Electrical control of magnetism is crucial for industrial applications but faces significant challenges.
- Altermagnetism, a recently discovered unconventional magnetic state, offers potential solutions.
- Deterministic switching requires breaking parity symmetry, which is not inherent in all magnetic systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To explore the potential of altermagnetism for deterministic electrical switching of magnetic states.
- To identify specific material systems exhibiting the necessary symmetry properties for this application.
- To investigate the feasibility of using altermagnetic devices for efficient magnetic control.
Main Methods:
- Symmetry analysis of altermagnetic materials.
- First-principles calculations to determine electronic and magnetic properties.
- Magnetic dynamics simulations to model switching behavior.
Main Results:
- Altermagnetic materials can possess inherent parity symmetry breaking based on their chemical environment.
- MnTe bilayers (Te-Mn-Te-Mn-Te) were identified as promising candidate materials.
- The identified materials and mechanisms support deterministic electrical switching of magnetism.
Conclusions:
- Altermagnetism provides a viable pathway for deterministic electrical control of magnetism.
- MnTe bilayers represent a practical system for realizing this phenomenon.
- This work encourages further research into unconventional magnetism for technological advancements.
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