SLAC team proves a third kind of magnetism exists
SLAC researchers find proof of altermagnetism, a new magnetic phase
For nearly 90 years, physicists knew only two types of magnetism: ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism. Now a SLAC-led team has published conclusive experimental evidence of altermagnetism, a phase first proposed in 2022. Using polarized X-rays at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility, they detected chirality in manganese telluride (MnTe) — a handedness that conventional antiferromagnets cannot produce. Altermagnets could enable spintronic devices that are stable yet easy to read, with uses in quantum technologies, memory, and data centers.
Altermagnets combine the best of both. They have zero net magnetization, so they're stable, but they still have the capability to generate spin-polarized currents needed to easily extract information.