Screening identifies 180 altermagnetic materials with spin splitting

What the study found: A high-throughput screen of 2,287 MAGNDATA entries identified 180 materials with significant spin splitting, including both metallic and semiconducting systems. The study also reports 9 bulk altermagnets with chemically equivalent 2D counterparts linked to the same ICSD parent entry.

Why the authors say this matters: The authors say altermagnetism may support next-generation spintronics because it combines zero net magnetization with momentum-dependent spin polarization, enabling sizable spin splitting in materials made from light, earth-abundant elements. They also conclude that their momentum-resolved results can guide future photoemission experiments.

What the researchers tested: The researchers combined symmetry analysis with spin-polarized density functional theory (DFT) calculations. They screened the 2,287 entries in the MAGNDATA database, including collinear structures and collinear versions of systems reported as noncollinear, and compared their results with the Computational 2D Materials Database (C2DB) and the AiiDA 2D repository.

What worked and what didn't: The workflow found 180 materials exhibiting significant spin splitting. The abstract says the maximal splitting tends to occur away from high-symmetry paths in the Brillouin zone, and that spin splitting varies strongly across the Brillouin zone. It also highlights UCr2Si2C, NbMnP, and YRuO3 as representative cases with large spin splitting.

What to keep in mind: The abstract does not describe specific experimental validation, and it does not provide detailed limitations beyond the scope of the databases and methods used. The open-access database containing results for all 180 materials is mentioned, but the abstract does not summarize its contents in detail.

Key points

• A screen of 2,287 MAGNDATA entries found 180 materials with significant spin splitting.
• The identified materials include both metallic and semiconducting systems.
• The study reports 9 bulk altermagnets with chemically equivalent 2D counterparts linked to the same ICSD parent entry.
• Spin splitting was found to vary strongly across the Brillouin zone, with maxima often away from high-symmetry paths.
• The authors say these results can guide future photoemission experiments.