Lee Ji-Eun, Zhong Yong, Li Qile, Edmonds Mark T, Shen Zhi-Xun, Hwang Choongyu, Mo Sung-Kwan
Advanced Light Source, Lawrence Berkeley National Laboratory, Berkeley, California 94720, United States.
Max Planck POSTECH Center for Complex Phase Materials, Pohang University of Science and Technology, Pohang 37673, Korea.
Nano Lett. 2025 Jun 4;25(22):8969-8975. doi: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.5c01158. Epub 2025 May 19.
The altermagnet candidate MnTe has recently gained significant interest due to its unconventional magnetic ordering. One of the key features of altermagnetism is the momentum-dependent spin-split band and its temperature-dependent evolution. Yet a fully momentum-resolved experimental investigation, including out-of-plane direction, is still lacking. Here, we systematically investigate the electronic structure of epitaxially grown MnTe by using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). Our photon-energy-dependent ARPES data reveal significant out-of-plane dispersions consistent with previous theoretical calculations. More interestingly, we identify two distinct temperature-dependent electronic band structure evolutions at different out-of-plane momentum positions: momentum-dependent energy shifts at the nodal plane and substantial spectral weight suppression at the off-nodal plane. These findings may suggest the importance of considering both the itinerant and localized nature of the magnetic ordering and momentum-dependent interactions. Our work provides crucial insights into the complex correlation between momentum, temperature, and electronic structure in MnTe, contributing to a deeper understanding of altermagnetism.
候选交替磁体碲化锰（MnTe）因其非常规的磁有序性最近引起了极大关注。交替磁性的关键特征之一是与动量相关的自旋分裂能带及其随温度的演化。然而，仍然缺乏包括面外方向在内的完全动量分辨的实验研究。在此，我们通过使用角分辨光电子能谱（ARPES）系统地研究了外延生长的MnTe的电子结构。我们依赖光子能量的ARPES数据揭示了与先前理论计算一致的显著面外色散。更有趣的是，我们在不同的面外动量位置识别出两种不同的随温度变化的电子能带结构演化：在节点平面处与动量相关的能量移动以及在离节点平面处显著的光谱权重抑制。这些发现可能表明考虑磁有序的巡游和局域性质以及与动量相关的相互作用的重要性。我们的工作为MnTe中动量、温度和电子结构之间的复杂关联提供了关键见解，有助于更深入地理解交替磁性。
