Emergent Anomalous Hall Effect from Surface States in the Altermagnet MnTe Thin Films

Fuente: arXiv
Gespeichert in:
Bibliographische Detailangaben
Hauptverfasser: Zhao, Yufei, Mandal, Saswata, Liu, Chao-Xing, Yan, Binghai
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2026
Schlagworte:
Online-Zugang:
Tags: Tag hinzufügen
Keine Tags, Fügen Sie den ersten Tag hinzu!
_version_ 1866910050712289280
author Zhao, Yufei
Mandal, Saswata
Liu, Chao-Xing
Yan, Binghai
author_facet Zhao, Yufei
Mandal, Saswata
Liu, Chao-Xing
Yan, Binghai
contents Transport measurements on thin films of the prototypical altermagnet MnTe have reported conflicting phenomena of anomalous Hall effects (AHE), including opposite signs and thickness-independent resistivity. Here we resolve these discrepancies by separating bulk and surface contributions to the AHE for different crystal terminations. Using first-principles calculations and symmetry-based effective models, we show that although the bulk hosts a characteristic $g$-wave Fermi surface, surface states within the bulk gap acquire a ferromagnet-like spin polarization and dominate the AHE at experimentally relevant Fermi energies. While the surface magnetization follows the surface spin sublattice, the resulting AHE is uniquely determined by the bulk Néel order for a given termination. Both bulk and surface contributions are closely linked to a small but finite out-of-plane orbital magnetization. Incorporating realistic interfacial chemistry further reveals that a Te capping layer can reverse the surface AHE sign relative to that on an InP substrate. Our results establish a microscopic framework for interpreting and engineering AHE responses in altermagnetic thin films through interface design.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2603_12259
institution arXiv
publishDate 2026
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Emergent Anomalous Hall Effect from Surface States in the Altermagnet MnTe Thin Films
Zhao, Yufei
Mandal, Saswata
Liu, Chao-Xing
Yan, Binghai
Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Transport measurements on thin films of the prototypical altermagnet MnTe have reported conflicting phenomena of anomalous Hall effects (AHE), including opposite signs and thickness-independent resistivity. Here we resolve these discrepancies by separating bulk and surface contributions to the AHE for different crystal terminations. Using first-principles calculations and symmetry-based effective models, we show that although the bulk hosts a characteristic $g$-wave Fermi surface, surface states within the bulk gap acquire a ferromagnet-like spin polarization and dominate the AHE at experimentally relevant Fermi energies. While the surface magnetization follows the surface spin sublattice, the resulting AHE is uniquely determined by the bulk Néel order for a given termination. Both bulk and surface contributions are closely linked to a small but finite out-of-plane orbital magnetization. Incorporating realistic interfacial chemistry further reveals that a Te capping layer can reverse the surface AHE sign relative to that on an InP substrate. Our results establish a microscopic framework for interpreting and engineering AHE responses in altermagnetic thin films through interface design.
title Emergent Anomalous Hall Effect from Surface States in the Altermagnet MnTe Thin Films
topic Materials Science
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2603.12259