Speaker
Description
Altermagnets are compensated collinear magnets whose opposite sublattices are related by lattice rotations rather than translations [1]. This symmetry leads to spin-split electronic bands with alternating sign in momentum space despite vanishing net magnetization. We recently demonstrated this band splitting in hexagonal MnTe [2], where it also gives rise to linear response phenomena usually associated with ferromagnets [3].
In this talk I will present our recent progress toward altermagnetic thin films and hybrid structures aimed at superconducting spintronics. First, I will discuss the extension of altermagnetic concepts to sputtered thin films and highlight thin-film materials as a scalable platform for realizing spin-split bands [4], including with a view toward transport signatures such as the anomalous Hall effect. These results establish altermagnetic thin films as a versatile platform beyond bulk model systems. Second, I will show our first steps toward combining altermagnetism with superconductivity. We have recently realized epitaxial superconductor/altermagnet bilayers and are now investigating how superconducting and altermagnetic order interact at the interface [5]. Such heterostructures provide a platform to explore superconducting proximity effects and spin-dependent pairing in spin-split systems without net magnetization.
[1] L. Smejkal, J. Sinova, and T. Jungwirth, Phys. Rev. X 12, 031042 & 040501 (2022).
[2] J. Krempaský et al., Nature 626, 517–522 (2024).
[3] O. J. Amin et al., Nature 636, 348–353 (2024).
[4] S. P. Bommanaboyena et al., Phys. Rev. Materials 9, 064402 (2025).
[5] C. Müller et al., arXiv:2601.06504 [cond-mat.supr-con].