Altermagnetism (AM) is an emerging field in condensed matter physics that is attracting attention as the third kind of collinear magnetism beyond ferromagnetism (FM) and antiferromagnetism (AFM). There is no net magnetization in AM systems, similar to AFM systems, while the spin-up and down bands are non-degenerate, similar to FM systems. This leads to unique consequences such as spin polarization density alternating not only in the coordinate, but also in momentum space, and obeys symmetry rules similar to the symmetry of the order parameter of unconventional superconductors: d-wave, g-wave, etc. The unique interactions between the topology, sublattice spin directions, and the time-reversal symmetry breaking bring great opportunities for developing next-generation spintronic device functions, especially those requiring minimal scattering or maximal quantum coherence. In this tutorial, we will introduce altermagnetism based on symmetry considerations, explain its exciting applications in spintronics, summarize its experimental manifestations in a few candidate materials, and introduce a software platform to identify it in a given crystal structure.
Topics
- Classification of magnetically ordered periodic crystals with an emphasis on collinear magnets and the distinction between ferrimagnets, antiferromagnets, and altermagnets
- Spintronics and unique advantages of AM
- Experimental manifestations of AM properties
- Hands-on tutorial: Specific crystallographic conditions for AM, and hands-on on installing and using the amcheck software tool
Who should attend?
The tutorial is oriented towards advanced students, postdocs, and young researchers who are interested in the fundamentals of altermagnetism, its manifestations, and applications.
Organizers
- Fazel Tafti, Boston College
- Sugata Chowdhury, Howard University
Presenters
- Igor Mazin, George Mason University
- Jairo Sinova, University of Mainz
- Tomas Jungwirth, Institute of Physics, Czech Republic
- Andriy Smolyanyuk, Technical University of Vienna