Altermagnetic surface states: towards the observation and utilization of altermagnetism in thin films, interfaces and topological materials

TL;DR

This paper investigates the properties of altermagnetic surface states in various crystal orientations, identifying conditions under which altermagnetism is preserved or can be activated, with implications for observing spin-splitting in thin films and interfaces.

Contribution

It provides a detailed analysis of how surface orientation and magnetic order affect altermagnetic surface states, offering guidelines for experimental observation and potential applications.

Findings

Altermagnetic spin-splitting varies with surface orientation.

Certain surfaces preserve altermagnetism while others do not.

An electric field can activate altermagnetism on specific surfaces.

Abstract

The altermagnetism influences the electronic states allowing the presence of non-relativistic spinsplittings. Since altermagnetic spin-splitting is present along specific k-paths of the 3D Brillouin zone, we expect that the altermagnetic surface states will be present on specific surface orientations. We unveil the properties of the altermagnetic surface states considering three representative space groups: tetragonal, orthorhombic and hexagonal. We calculate the 2D projected Brillouin zone from the 3D Brillouin zone. We study the surfaces with their respective 2D Brillouin zones establishing where the spin-splittings with opposite sign merge annihilating the altermagnetic properties and on which surfaces the altermagnetism is preserved. Looking at the three principal surface orientations, we find that for several cases two surfaces are blind to the altermagnetism, while the altermagnetism survives for one surface orientation. Which surface preserves the altermagnetism depends also on the magnetic order. We show that an electric field orthogonal to the blind surface can activate the altermagnetism. Our results predict which surfaces to cleave in order to preserve altermagnetism in surfaces or interfaces and this paves the way to observe non-relativistic altermagnetic spin-splitting in thin films via spin-resolved ARPES and to interface the altermagnetism with other collective modes. We open future perspectives for the study of altermagnetic effects on the trivial and topological surface states.