Confinement-induced altermangetism in RuO$_2$ thin films
Fuente:
arXiv
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Preprint |
| Published: |
2024
|
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| _version_ | 1866909435763359744 |
|---|---|
| author | Brahimi, Samy Rai, Dibya Prakash Lounis, Samir |
| author_facet | Brahimi, Samy Rai, Dibya Prakash Lounis, Samir |
| contents | The magnetic properties of bulk RuO$_2$ remain a subject of active debate, despite its pivotal role in the emergence of altermagnetism. The latter is a novel paradigm in magnetic phases, characterized by the absence of net magnetization due to anti-parallel alignment of magnetic moments, yet displaying finite spin-splitting in the electronic band structure. This unique behavior unlocks opportunities for advanced applications in information technology devices. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that bulk RuO$_2$, contrary to prior assumptions, is non-magnetic. In this work, we propose the fabrication of RuO$_2$ thin films to robustly stabilize the altermagnetic phase. Unlike their bulk counterparts, thin films experience substantial strain relaxation, leading to a dramatic impact on the electronic structure that triggers a transition towards an altermagnetic behavior, which mimics the impact of an artificially applied Hubbard-U correction to account for electronic correlations. Our findings promote the use and exploration of thin films for the realization of spintronic devices based on altermagnets. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2412_15377 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2024 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Confinement-induced altermangetism in RuO$_2$ thin films Brahimi, Samy Rai, Dibya Prakash Lounis, Samir Materials Science The magnetic properties of bulk RuO$_2$ remain a subject of active debate, despite its pivotal role in the emergence of altermagnetism. The latter is a novel paradigm in magnetic phases, characterized by the absence of net magnetization due to anti-parallel alignment of magnetic moments, yet displaying finite spin-splitting in the electronic band structure. This unique behavior unlocks opportunities for advanced applications in information technology devices. Recent experimental and theoretical investigations suggest that bulk RuO$_2$, contrary to prior assumptions, is non-magnetic. In this work, we propose the fabrication of RuO$_2$ thin films to robustly stabilize the altermagnetic phase. Unlike their bulk counterparts, thin films experience substantial strain relaxation, leading to a dramatic impact on the electronic structure that triggers a transition towards an altermagnetic behavior, which mimics the impact of an artificially applied Hubbard-U correction to account for electronic correlations. Our findings promote the use and exploration of thin films for the realization of spintronic devices based on altermagnets. |
| title | Confinement-induced altermangetism in RuO$_2$ thin films |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2412.15377 |