Sun Wei, Wang Wenxuan, Yang Changhong, Huang Shifeng, Ding Ning, Dong Shuai, Cheng Zhenxiang
Shandong Provincial Key Laboratory of Green and Intelligent Building Materials, University of Jinan, Jinan, 250022, China.
School of Material Science and Engineering, University of Jinan, Jinan, Shandong, 250022, China.
Adv Sci (Weinh). 2025 Aug;12(30):e03235. doi: 10.1002/advs.202503235. Epub 2025 Jun 17.
Altermagnets, a recently identified class of collinear magnets, exhibit unique properties such as zero net magnetization and spin polarization dictated by lattice symmetry, making them a subject of intense research. In contrast to conventional strategies for inducing altermagnetism in antiferromagnets that rely on manipulating real-space symmetry, this work introduces a novel and general approach to achieving altermagnetism by modulating spin-space symmetry. Through a combination of tight-binding models and first-principles calculations, the microscopic origin of altermagnetism driven by spin-space symmetry is uncovered, and the mechanism underlying enhanced spin splitting is identified. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that this spin-space modulation can synergistically interact with ferroelectricity, enabling a spin symmetry-dependent magnetoelectric coupling mechanism that is distinct from conventional multiferroics. This unique coupling is validated by the magneto-optical Kerr effect, providing a robust theoretical foundation for the development of next-generation spintronic devices that harness the potential of altermagnetism.
交变磁体是最近发现的一类共线磁体，具有独特的性质，如净磁化强度为零以及由晶格对称性决定的自旋极化，这使得它们成为深入研究的对象。与传统的在反铁磁体中诱导交变磁性的策略不同，传统策略依赖于操纵实空间对称性，而这项工作引入了一种通过调制自旋空间对称性来实现交变磁性的新颖且通用的方法。通过紧束缚模型和第一性原理计算相结合，揭示了由自旋空间对称性驱动的交变磁性的微观起源，并确定了增强自旋分裂的潜在机制。此外，研究表明这种自旋空间调制可以与铁电性协同相互作用，从而实现一种与传统多铁性材料不同的自旋对称性依赖的磁电耦合机制。这种独特的耦合通过磁光克尔效应得到验证，为开发利用交变磁性潜力的下一代自旋电子器件提供了坚实的理论基础。
