A team led by physicist Madhab Neupane of the University of Central Florida (UCF) in the United States has found experimental evidence of altermagnetism, a recently recognised form of magnetism, in a layered material called Co1/4TaSe2. The study was published in Nature Communications.
Altermagnetism combines advantages of two familiar types of magnetism: like antiferromagnets, it does not create stray magnetic fields that interfere with neighbouring components, but unlike them it can generate and detect spin currents, a property of electrons that could be used to carry information.
To confirm it, the researchers measured the energy and motion of electrons using high-resolution spectroscopy techniques, including a spin-sensitive one, and found the expected signatures. The material is made of very thin sheets that are easy to separate and combine, making it attractive for ultrathin devices.
The discovery could help advance spintronics, ultrafast memory and more energy-efficient electronics. The authors note that many questions about this type of magnetism remain unanswered, but the new material offers an easily modified platform for studying them.
