Electrical Control of the Exchange Bias Effect at Model Ferromagnet-Altermagnet Junctions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates how electric control can modulate the exchange bias effect at ferromagnet-altermagnet interfaces, revealing new surface phenomena and predicting electric-field-induced effects with potential spintronic applications.

Contribution

It introduces a theoretical framework showing electric control of exchange bias at ferromagnet-altermagnet junctions, highlighting new surface phenomena and mechanisms for tuning the effect.

Findings

Surface phenomena induce exchange bias in ferromagnet-altermagnet interfaces.

Quantitative control over exchange bias strength is possible.

Electric-field-induced effects are predicted at the interface.

Abstract

This work analyzes the behavior of the interface between a ferromagnetic material and an alter-magnet. We use a well-established line of arguments based on electronic mean-field calculations to show that new surface phenomena that lead to altermagnetic materials induce an exchange bias effect on the nearby ferromagnet. We reveal the physical mechanisms behind this phenomenon that lead to quantitative control over its strength. Interestingly, we predict exotic electric-field-induced phenomena. This is an analogy to the relationship between exchange bias and the injection of spin currents in spin-transfer-dominated scenarios, which has been reported earlier in the traditional antiferromagnetic/ferromagnetic junction.