Creation and Manipulation of Higher-Order Topological States by Altermagnets

We propose to implement tunable higher-order topological states in a heterojunction consisting of a two-dimensional (2D) topological insulator and the recently discovered altermagnets, whose unique spin-polarization in both real and reciprocal space and null magnetization are in contrast to conventional ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Based on symmetry analysis and effective edge theory, we show that the special spin splitting in altermagnets with different symmetries, such as d-wave, can introduce Dirac mass terms with opposite signs on the adjacent boundaries of the topological insulator, resulting in the higher-order topological state with mass-domain bound corner states. Moreover, by adjusting the direction of the N\'eel vector, we can manipulate such topological corner states by moving their positions. By first-principles calculations, taking a 2D topological insulator bismuthene with a square lattice on an altermagnet MnF₂ as an example, we demonstrate the feasibility of creating and manipulating the higher-order topological states through altermagnets. Finally, we discuss the experimental implementation and detection of the tunable topological corner states, as well as the potential non-Abelian braiding of the Dirac corner fermions.