Physicists confirm existence of third magnetic phase called altermagnetism
Researchers at the SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory found that manganese telluride exhibits properties combining ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism.
Physicists have experimentally confirmed altermagnetism, a third magnetic phase that merges characteristics of both ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, according to The New Indian Express.
The study, published in Science, was led by researchers at the US Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. They established that manganese telluride (MnTe), which was previously categorised as an antiferromagnet, shows altermagnetic properties.
The team identified chirality, or handedness, within the magnetic structure of MnTe. This asymmetry is what separates altermagnets from standard antiferromagnets, where opposing electron spins cancel out without creating net magnetisation.
To find this, researchers used circularly polarised X-rays at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France. They observed how the material scattered left- and right-handed X-rays to identify a chiral signal during experiments conducted in 2024 and early 2025.
Altermagnets possess zero net magnetisation, which makes them resistant to external magnetic fields, yet they can still produce spin-polarised currents. This could benefit spintronics, a field using electron spin and electrical charge to manage information.
Researchers intend to study how light and electricity can control these magnetic states for use in data centres, memory devices, and quantum technologies.