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Chiral altermagnon in MnTe

Year: 2026
Type: article
Abstract: Altermagnetism has been recognized as a magnetic phase that bridges the properties of ferro- and antiferromagnetism. The momentum-dependent spin splitting observed in these materials reflects their distinctive symmetry characteristics, which also establish the conditions for chiral magnons to emerge. Here we provide direct experimental evidence for a chiral magnon in the altermagnetic candidate manganese telluride (MnTe) revealed by circular-dichroism resonant inelastic x-ray scattering. This mode, which we term chiral altermagnon, exhibits a distinct momentum dependence of its spin polarization consistent with the altermagnetic g -wave symmetry of MnTe. Our polarization-resolved data corroborate the existence of a discrete class of magnetic excitations, demonstrating how altermagnetic order shapes spin dynamics and paving the way for advances in spintronic and quantum technologies.
Source: Science
DOI: 10.1126/science.adv3196
Authors: Daniel Jost, Resham Babu Regmi, Eder G. Lomeli, Samuel Sahel-Schackis, Monika Scheufele, Marcel Neuhaus, Rachel Nickel, Flora Yakhou, Kurt Kummer, Nicholas B. Brookes, Lingjia Shen, Georgi L. Dakovski, Nirmal J. Ghimire, Stephan Geprägs, Matthias F. Kling
Institutions: SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory, Linac Coherent Light Source, University of Notre Dame, Stanford University, Bavarian Academy of Sciences and Humanities, Walther Meissner Institute, Technical University of Munich, European Synchrotron Radiation Facility
Language: English
Open Access status: green
OpenAlex ID: W4406975366
FWCI: 14.69
Cites: 46
Cited by: 21
Related to: 10