Direct observation of quadruple spin-texture locking in a 2D d-wave altermagnet

TL;DR

This study provides atomic-scale evidence of spin-lattice locking in a d-wave altermagnet, revealing complex spin textures and a new spin-stripe locking phenomenon, advancing understanding of spin interactions in these materials.

Contribution

First direct atomic-scale visualization of spin-lattice locking in an altermagnet, demonstrating spin-texture locking and uncovering spin-stripe locking related to moiré patterns.

Findings

Observation of d-wave-like spin texture at the sublattice level.

Detection of spin-dependent interference patterns showing spin-momentum locking.

Identification of spin-stripe locking linked to a spin-density-wave moiré pattern.

Abstract

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 moir\'e 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, moir\'e potential and valley.