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Marginal Metals and Kosterlitz-Thouless-Type Phase Transition in Disordered Altermagnets
Chang-An Li1,2, Bo Fu3, Huaiming Guo4
1Hefei National Laboratory, Hefei, Anhui 230088, China.
Physical Review Letters
|March 1, 2026
Summary
Disorder drives a phase transition in two-dimensional d-wave altermagnets, shifting them from a metallic state to an insulator. This transition, characterized by vortex-antivortex pairs, impacts altermagnetism
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Magnetism
Background:
- Altermagnetism is a novel magnetic phase with spin-split bands but no net magnetization.
- Its stability against material disorder is crucial for practical applications but poorly understood.
- Two-dimensional (2D) d-wave altermagnets are a key system for studying these properties.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of disorder on electron localization in 2D d-wave altermagnets.
- To identify potential phase transitions induced by disorder.
- To understand how disorder affects the characteristic spin anisotropy and observable features of altermagnets.
Main Methods:
- Numerical simulations were employed to study electron localization.
- Analysis focused on the properties of 2D d-wave altermagnets subjected to disorder.
- The study examined the transition from a metallic to an insulating phase.
Main Results:
- A disorder-driven phase transition from a marginal metallic phase to an insulator was discovered.
- This transition belongs to the Kosterlitz-Thouless universality class.
- The transition is interpreted via vortex-antivortex pairs in local spin magnetization, with persisting but fading spin anisotropy.
Conclusions:
- Disorder can induce a significant phase transition in 2D d-wave altermagnets.
- The findings offer a new framework for understanding experimental observations in altermagnetic materials.
- The study highlights the complex interplay between disorder and altermagnetic properties.
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