Band structure control in the altermagnetic candidate MnTe by temperature and strain

TL;DR

This study investigates how temperature and strain influence the optical conductivity and electronic structure of MnTe, revealing its altermagnetic nature through THz absorption features and their dependence on external conditions.

Contribution

It provides experimental evidence that MnTe exhibits altermagnetic electronic structure, demonstrating control via temperature and strain, and linking optical features to magnetic phase behavior.

Findings

THz absorption peaks relate to spin-split bands and acceptor levels.

Temperature dependence aligns with a ferromagnetic phase transition.

Negative uniaxial pressure shifts THz peaks, indicating band structure changes.

Abstract

The temperature and strain dependences of the optical conductivity spectrum of hexagonal manganese telluride (MnTe) were measured, revealing absorption in the terahertz (THz) region from spin-split bands to acceptor levels. The temperature dependence of the THz absorption peak is consistent with that of a ferromagnetic phase transition, even though MnTe exhibits no net magnetism. The temperature dependence was attributed to a change in the altermagnetic electronic structure. A Fano-like antisymmetric line shape in the optical phonon absorption was observed, which originates from the interaction between optical phonons and the spin-split bands. Additionally, under negative uniaxial pressure, the THz peak shifts away from the Fermi level (EF), suggesting that spin-splitting bands at energies away from EF, consistent with the theoretical prediction that the spin-splitting angle decreases. The observed behavior of the THz peak clearly shows that MnTe has the altermagnetic electronic structure.