Researchers at the Department of Energy’s Oak Ridge National Laboratory have demonstrated that mechanical pressure can significantly modify the magnetic characteristics of altermagnets, an emerging class of materials with potential applications in advanced electronics. The findings were detailed in two related studies published in Physical Review X and Advanced Materials, providing new insights into how strain affects both magnetic structures and electron behavior within these materials.
Altermagnets are being investigated for their potential role in spintronics, a field that leverages the spin property of electrons alongside their electrical charge to process and store information. By contrast, conventional electronics rely solely on electron charge. The ability to control magnetic properties through mechanical means could facilitate breakthroughs in spintronic technologies with applications spanning wireless communication to quantum computing, according to researchers involved in the work.
To examine how pressure influences these materials, the ORNL team conducted experiments using small crystals of manganese telluride and iron sulfide, which were placed between titanium plates and compressed. Using neutron diffraction techniques at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source, scientists observed changes in the magnetic domains—regions within materials characterized by specific magnetic arrangements—when pressure was applied. The mechanical compression also influenced the anomalous Hall effect, an electrical phenomenon, indicating that the pressure altered the electrical transport properties of the materials.
The research demonstrates that a straightforward experimental approach can reveal previously unknown ways to manipulate magnetic materials and their characteristics. According to scientists involved in the studies, these findings may facilitate the development of components for future spintronic devices by establishing practical methods for controlling magnetic behavior in promising candidate materials.
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