Twist-induced altermagnetism in a metallic van der Waals antiferromagnet

Fuente: arXiv
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Autori principali: Ruiz, Alberto M., Shumilin, Andrei, González-Hernández, Rafael, Baldoví, José J.
Natura: Preprint
Pubblicazione: 2026
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author Ruiz, Alberto M.
Shumilin, Andrei
González-Hernández, Rafael
Baldoví, José J.
author_facet Ruiz, Alberto M.
Shumilin, Andrei
González-Hernández, Rafael
Baldoví, José J.
contents Altermagnetism -a magnetic state characterized by spin-polarized electronic bands at zero net magnetization- offers a promising route for next-generation spintronic devices. In two-dimensional (2D) magnets, twist engineering enables its realization by breaking the combined inversion and time-reversal symmetry (PT) while preserving crystal symmetries that ensure the altermagnetic order. Here, by means of first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we demonstrate that twist engineering applied to the recently synthesized metallic van der Waals antiferromagnet Co-doped bilayer Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ (Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$) provides a robust platform for altermagnetism. By twisting two layers of Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$, the PT symmetry between opposite spin sublattices is broken, resulting in a non-relativistic $i$-wave altermagnetic state with spin splitting up to 138 meV. In the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the electronic states are spin-degenerate along six high-symmetry directions, while the inclusion of SOC preserves this degeneracy along the three directions protected by twofold rotation axes. Furthermore, we unveil the microscopic mechanisms governing the magnetic behavior in twisted Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$. Our results establish twist engineering and metallic Fe-based van der Waals antiferromagnets as versatile platforms to realize 2D van der Waals altermagnetism, with potential for designing high-efficiency ultrathin nanodevices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2602_19734
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Twist-induced altermagnetism in a metallic van der Waals antiferromagnet
Ruiz, Alberto M.
Shumilin, Andrei
González-Hernández, Rafael
Baldoví, José J.
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Altermagnetism -a magnetic state characterized by spin-polarized electronic bands at zero net magnetization- offers a promising route for next-generation spintronic devices. In two-dimensional (2D) magnets, twist engineering enables its realization by breaking the combined inversion and time-reversal symmetry (PT) while preserving crystal symmetries that ensure the altermagnetic order. Here, by means of first-principles calculations and symmetry analysis, we demonstrate that twist engineering applied to the recently synthesized metallic van der Waals antiferromagnet Co-doped bilayer Fe$_3$GaTe$_2$ (Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$) provides a robust platform for altermagnetism. By twisting two layers of Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$, the PT symmetry between opposite spin sublattices is broken, resulting in a non-relativistic $i$-wave altermagnetic state with spin splitting up to 138 meV. In the absence of spin-orbit coupling (SOC), the electronic states are spin-degenerate along six high-symmetry directions, while the inclusion of SOC preserves this degeneracy along the three directions protected by twofold rotation axes. Furthermore, we unveil the microscopic mechanisms governing the magnetic behavior in twisted Fe$_2$CoGaTe$_2$. Our results establish twist engineering and metallic Fe-based van der Waals antiferromagnets as versatile platforms to realize 2D van der Waals altermagnetism, with potential for designing high-efficiency ultrathin nanodevices.
title Twist-induced altermagnetism in a metallic van der Waals antiferromagnet
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2602.19734