What question did this study set out to answer?

This research aims to explore the magnetostriction in the altermagnet MnTe and its implications for antiferromagnets.

May 30, 2026

Saturated and Anisotropic Magnetostriction in an Altermagnet

Key Points

This research aims to explore the magnetostriction in the altermagnet MnTe and its implications for antiferromagnets.
Analyzing high-quality MnTe single crystals under magnetic fields.
Employing first-principles calculations to understand the relationship between magnetostriction and the Néel order parameter.
Magnetostriction in MnTe saturates under a field of ∼0.7 T.
Observed anisotropy presents intriguing 2-fold symmetry.
Findings challenge the conventional understanding of antiferromagnetic magnetostriction.

Abstract

Magnetostriction, a fundamental phenomenon bridging magnetism and mechanics, has enabled a broad spectrum of applications. For almost two centuries, it has been mainly investigated for ferromagnets. Regarding the magnetostriction of antiferromagnets (AFMs), limitedly known examples for both conventional collinear AFMs and noncollinear AFMs predominantly exhibit nonsaturating magnetic-field dependence. Herein, we report an easily saturated magnetostriction effect in a prototypical altermagnet─MnTe, which is an emerging class of collinear AFMs with special crystal symmetries. For high-quality MnTe single crystals, the magnetostriction saturates under a moderate field of ∼0.7 T with an intriguing 2-fold-symmetry anisotropy. First-principles calculations reveal that the saturated and anisotropic magnetostriction originates from symmetry-allowed coupling between elastic strain and its Néel order parameter. These findings break the traditional wisdom on antiferromagnetic magnetostriction.

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