Year: 2026
Type: preprint
Abstract: Despite significant progress in the study of higher-order topological insulators (HOTIs), the chiral $C_4\mathcal{T}$-protected HOTI has remained elusive in electronic materials, where $C_4\mathcal{T}$ denotes the product of a four-fold rotation and time-reversal symmetry. We show that altermagnetism, a recently discovered form of collinear magnetism, provides a new route to realize this elusive phase. Specifically, we construct a microscopic model that combines a three-dimensional topological insulator with a collinear $d$-wave altermagnet on a Lieb lattice. Through analytical and numerical calculations, we show that the magnetism shifts and gaps the surface Dirac cones to produce the desired chiral hinge channels. Finally, we identify promising material classes to realise our proposal. Our results establish collinear altermagnetism as a route to intrinsic chiral higher-order topology and open a new path toward the discovery of $C_4\mathcal{T}$-protected HOTIs in real materials.
Source: arXiv (Cornell University)
Authors: Hadjipaschalis, Andreas, Cano, Jennifer
Institutions: Stony Brook University, Flatiron Institute
Language: English
Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics
Field: Physics and Astronomy
Domain: Physical Sciences
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W7204843598