Direct observation of quadruple spin-texture locking in a 2D d-wave altermagnet
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arXiv
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| Autores principales: | , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , , |
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| Formato: | Preprint |
| Publicado: |
2026
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| Materias: | |
| Acceso en línea: | |
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| author | Mu, Dan Jiang, Bei Duan, Qingchen Xu, Zulin Cheng, Xingkai Xiao, Yusen Han, Xinru Liang, Xinyu Luo, Zhaokun Kong, Ryan L. Wang, Qiheng Liu, Junwei Zhong, Jianxin Zhong, Ruidan Gu, Qiangqiang Lv, Baiqing Ding, Hong |
| author_facet | Mu, Dan Jiang, Bei Duan, Qingchen Xu, Zulin Cheng, Xingkai Xiao, Yusen Han, Xinru Liang, Xinyu Luo, Zhaokun Kong, Ryan L. Wang, Qiheng Liu, Junwei Zhong, Jianxin Zhong, Ruidan Gu, Qiangqiang Lv, Baiqing Ding, Hong |
| contents | Altermagnets combine vanishing net magnetization with nonrelativistic, momentum-dependent spin splitting, offering a new paradigm for spintronics. Spin-crystal symmetry coupling, namely spin-lattice locking, is the defining mechanism of altermagnetism, enforcing opposite spin sublattices in real space and spin-momentum-locked electronic structure in reciprocal space. Direct atomic-scale visualization of spin-lattice locking therefore constitutes a decisive benchmark of the altermagnetic state, yet such evidence has remained elusive despite extensive efforts. Here we show that the electronic states in RbV2Se2O exhibit a d-wave-like spin texture at the sublattice level, providing the first atomic-scale evidence of spin-lattice locking with a predominantly c-axis spin orientation. By employing an in-situ, field-switchable spin-polarized Cr tip, we realize spin-contrast mapping of quasiparticle interference at identical energies, overcoming a long-standing experimental barrier in altermagnets. The resulting interference patterns exhibit pronounced spin-dependent modulations, establishing spin scattering locking and spin momentum locking as the real and reciprocal space manifestations. Unexpectedly, we uncover that the spin-selective scattering response is organized by a long-period stripe modulation, giving rise to a previously unidentified form of spin-texture locking, spin-stripe locking. We attribute this behavior to the emergence of a spin-density-wave moiré pattern. Together, these results establish a unified picture of quadruple spin-texture locking phenomena in a d-wave altermagnet, and position altermagnets as a versatile platform for exploring many-body interactions among intertwined degrees of freedom, including spin, lattice, momentum, moiré potential and valley. |
| format | Preprint |
| id |
arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2604_18337 |
| institution | arXiv |
| publishDate | 2026 |
| record_format | arxiv |
| spellingShingle | Direct observation of quadruple spin-texture locking in a 2D d-wave altermagnet Mu, Dan Jiang, Bei Duan, Qingchen Xu, Zulin Cheng, Xingkai Xiao, Yusen Han, Xinru Liang, Xinyu Luo, Zhaokun Kong, Ryan L. Wang, Qiheng Liu, Junwei Zhong, Jianxin Zhong, Ruidan Gu, Qiangqiang Lv, Baiqing Ding, Hong Materials Science Altermagnets combine vanishing net magnetization with nonrelativistic, momentum-dependent spin splitting, offering a new paradigm for spintronics. Spin-crystal symmetry coupling, namely spin-lattice locking, is the defining mechanism of altermagnetism, enforcing opposite spin sublattices in real space and spin-momentum-locked electronic structure in reciprocal space. Direct atomic-scale visualization of spin-lattice locking therefore constitutes a decisive benchmark of the altermagnetic state, yet such evidence has remained elusive despite extensive efforts. Here we show that the electronic states in RbV2Se2O exhibit a d-wave-like spin texture at the sublattice level, providing the first atomic-scale evidence of spin-lattice locking with a predominantly c-axis spin orientation. By employing an in-situ, field-switchable spin-polarized Cr tip, we realize spin-contrast mapping of quasiparticle interference at identical energies, overcoming a long-standing experimental barrier in altermagnets. The resulting interference patterns exhibit pronounced spin-dependent modulations, establishing spin scattering locking and spin momentum locking as the real and reciprocal space manifestations. Unexpectedly, we uncover that the spin-selective scattering response is organized by a long-period stripe modulation, giving rise to a previously unidentified form of spin-texture locking, spin-stripe locking. We attribute this behavior to the emergence of a spin-density-wave moiré pattern. Together, these results establish a unified picture of quadruple spin-texture locking phenomena in a d-wave altermagnet, and position altermagnets as a versatile platform for exploring many-body interactions among intertwined degrees of freedom, including spin, lattice, momentum, moiré potential and valley. |
| title | Direct observation of quadruple spin-texture locking in a 2D d-wave altermagnet |
| topic | Materials Science |
| url | https://arxiv.org/abs/2604.18337 |