Ferroelectric Control of Altermagnetism: New Methods and Developments

Altermagnetism is a novel type of collinear magnetic order characterized by non-relativistic spin splitting of electronic bands and zero net magnetization that has recently attracted significant attention. The spin splitting in altermagnets makes them potential alternatives to ferromagnets for spintronic applications, with the advantage that, unlike ferromagnets, altermagnets are not affected by stray magnetic fields. Interestingly, previous work has demonstrated the possibility of ferroelectric switching of altermagnetic order, resulting in the interchange of spin bands upon polarization reversal.

In this work, we explore new mechanisms for ferroelectrically switchable altermagnetism in charge- and spin-order-induced ferroelectrics, where polarization arises from the interplay between a charge density wave and antiferromagnetic order. I will introduce AlterSeek-Path, a new code for plotting the band structures of altermagnets, and discuss high-throughput methods based on symmetry arguments and first-principles calculations to screen materials databases for different types of ferroelectric candidates. This work is supported by ANID Fondecyt Regular 1260824.