Detecting the Hidden Magnetism of Altermagnets
2025.12.18
Research
Altermagnets, a promising new class of magnetic materials for next-generation spintronics, have remained difficult to identify due to their self-canceling magnetic structure. A new technique developed at Chiba University solves this by detecting distinct signatures produced when the atoms are hit with circularly polarized light. Validated in manganese telluride, a well-known altermagnet, the method opens the door to discovering new altermagnetic materials and enabling the development of faster, energy-efficient spintronic devices.
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Figure (a) shows the crystal and spin structure of MnTe, with manganese atoms in red and blue and tellurium atoms in yellow. Figure (b) illustrates how circularly polarized light produces distinct photoelectron diffraction patterns. Left-circular polarization enhances emission from the spin-up sublattice (A), while right-circular polarization enhances emission from the spin-down sublattice (B) in the opposite direction. The resulting circular dichroism reveals the opposite spin orientations of the sublattices.
Image credit: Professor Peter Krüger from Chiba University, Japan