Related Experiment Video
Updated: Jan 7, 2026

Optimizing Magnetic Force Microscopy Resolution and Sensitivity to Visualize Nanoscale Magnetic Domains
Published on: July 20, 2022
Relativistic Spin-Momentum Locking in Altermagnets
Carmine Autieri1,2, Amar Fakhredine3
1International Research Centre Magtop, Institute of Physics, Polish Academy of Sciences, Aleja Lotników 32/46, PL-02668 Warsaw, Poland.
Abstract:
Spin-momentum locking in altermagnets has been deeply explored in the nonrelativistic limit. Including spin-orbit coupling, altermagnets exhibit antisymmetric exchange interactions, leading to spin cantings. Therefore, the spin-momentum locking differs among the three spin components, Sx, Sy, and Sz, forming the relativistic spin-momentum locking. We considered orthorhombic YVO3 and hexagonal MnTe. For YVO3, the relativistic locking comprises s-, dxy-, and dxz-wave. In MnTe, the dominant component Sy of MnTe inherits the polarized charge distribution and the nonrelativistic spin-momentum locking bulk g-wave, but the breaking of the C6z rotational symmetry by the Néel vector lowers the symmetry from g-wave to d-wave. The relativistic spin-momentum locking for MnTe is composed of dxz-, dyz- and s-wave. Despite small magnitudes in real space, the canted spin components contribute significant spectral weight in k-space, impacting k-space properties, such as the spin-Hall conductivity and spin photocurrents.
Related Concept Videos
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Relaxation Processes
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment
Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
Diamagnetism
Diamagnetism was discovered by Anton Brugmans in 1778 when he observed that bismuth gets repelled by magnetic fields, thus theorizing that diamagnets get repelled by magnets....
Atomic Nuclei: Magnetic Resonance
Paramagnetism

