Alter-magnetic properties in the perovskite compounds

Abstract

Our high-throughput computational screening of the Materials Project database has identified 140 candidate materials exhibiting antiferromagnetic behavior in the $Pnma$ space group. Through systematic density functional theory calculations comparing various magnetic configurations, we demonstrate that 91 of these compounds preferentially stabilize in altermagnetic ground states, with 20 adopting the perovskite structure. Using NaCoF$_3$ as a prototypical example, we perform a comprehensive investigation of its electronic structure, magnetic ordering, and orbital configurations. Our analysis reveals that the magnetic Co$^{2+}$ ions occupy the 4c Wyckoff position and support three distinct antiferromagnetic (AFM) phases, among which the $G$-AFM configuration emerges as the ground state. Detailed symmetry analysis uncovers that the inter-sublattice coupling in the $G$-AFM phase is mediated by the combined time-reversal and rotation operation $\hat{T}\{R_{2x}|\frac{1}{2}\frac{1}{2}0\}$. This unique symmetry protection gives rise to several remarkable physical phenomena: (i) anisotropic optical conductivity, (ii) prominent anomalous transport effects including the anomalous Hall effect (AHE), Nernst effect (ANE), and thermal Hall effect (ATHE), and (iii) strong magneto-optical responses manifested through both Kerr and Faraday effects.