Search arXivSearch

arXiv · 2512.10405

Electric-Field-Controlled Altermagnetic Transition for Neuromorphic Computing

Abstract

Altermagnets represent a novel magnetic phase with transformative potential for ultrafast spintronics, yet efficient control of their magnetic states remains challenging. We demonstrate an ultra-low-power electric-field control of altermagnetism in MnTe through strain-mediated coupling in MnTe/PMN-PT heterostructures with negligible Joule heating. Application of +6 kV/cm electric fields induces piezoelectric strain in PMN-PT, modulating the Néel temperature from 310 to 328 K. As a result, around the magnetic phase transition, the altermagnetic spin splitting of MnTe is reversibly switched "on" and "off" by the electric fields. Meanwhile, the piezoelectric strain generates lattice distortions and magnetic structure changes in MnTe, enabling up to 9.7% resistance modulation around the magnetic phase transition temperature. Leveraging this effect, we implement programmable resistance states in a Hopfield neuromorphic network, achieving 100% pattern recognition accuracy at <=40% noise levels. This approach establishes the electric-field control as a low-power strategy for altermagnetic manipulation while demonstrating the viability of altermagnetic materials for energy-efficient neuromorphic computing beyond conventional charge-based architectures.

Explore related subjects

Keep this discovery

Explore connections, maps & timelines

BibTeXRIS

Zhiyuan Duan, Peixin Qin, Chengyan Zhong, Shaoxuan Zhang, Li Liu, Guojian Zhao, Xiaoning Wang, Hongyu Chen, Ziang Meng, Jingyu Li, Sixu Jiang, Xiaoyang Tan, Qiong Wu, Yu Liu, Zhiqi Liu. 2025-12-11. Electric-Field-Controlled Altermagnetic Transition for Neuromorphic Computing. https://doi.org/10.1021/jacs.5c15276

Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.

KEEP EXPLORING

Related papers

Incommensurate structural and magnetic modulations in potassium-rich cryptomelane, K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$)

Cryptomelane is a hollandite-like material consisting of K$^+$ cations in an $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnel-like crystallographic motif. Cryptomelane with stoichiometry K$_x$Mn$_8$O$_{16}$ ($x\approx1.45$) has been synthesized and its magnetic properties investigated using variable-temperature magnetic susceptibility, heat capacity, and neutron powder diffraction. Three distinct transitions at $T_1=184$\,K, $T_2=54.5$\,K, and $T_3=24$\,K are observed. At $T_1$ there is a subtle tetragonal$\rightarrow$monoclinic transition associated with emergence of a set of non-magnetic superstructure peaks indexable to a $\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}\approx0.74\vec{c^*}$ incommensurate modulation parallel to the $α$-MnO$_2$ tunnels. Our findings are consistent with a relation previously reported in titanate hollandites, that $x\approx2|\vec{k}_\mathrm{struc}|$. Magnetic Bragg peaks emerge below $T_2=54.5$\,K, and their positions indicate an incommensurate modulated magnetic structure. The model consistent with the data is a dual-$\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}$ structure with a ferromagnetic $|\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}|=0$ component and an incommensurate $\vec{k}_\mathrm{mag}\approx0.37\vec{c^*}$, with the latter most likely to be helical. The period of oscillation of the incommensurate magnetic component is in line with predictions based on a Heisenberg spin Hamiltonian [Mandal \textit{et al}. Phys. Rev. B 90, 104420 (2014)]. Below $T_3=24$\,K, there is a magnetic transition, which gives rise to a different set of magnetic Bragg peaks indicative of a highly complex magnetic structure.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

An anisotropic functional for two-dimensional material systems

Density function theory is the workhorse of modern electronic structure theory. However, its accuracy in practical calculations is limited by the choice of the exchange-correlation potential. In this respect, two-dimensional materials pose a special challenge, as all these materials and their heterostructures have a crucial similarity. The underlying atomic structures are strongly spatially inhomogeneous, implying that current exchange-correlation functionals, that in almost all cases are isotropic, are ill-prepared for an accurate description. We present an anisotropic screened-exchange potential, that remedies this problem and reproduces the band-gap of 2D materials as well as the piecewise linearity of the total energy with fractional occupation number.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Thermally-driven reorientation of the Néel vector in altermagnetic MnTe

Altermagnets are novel magnetic systems that possess a spin-polarized electronic band structure without a net magnetic moment, making them promising for device applications. Hexagonal MnTe, a prototypical altermagnet, arguably exhibits the most properties consistent with theoretical predictions, including an anomalous Hall effect despite a vanishing net magnetization, and altermagnetinduced electronic band splitting. However, fundamental questions remain, including why some effects only appear significantly below the magnetic ordering temperature. Here, we resolve this discrepancy by revealing a reorientation of the Néel vector in single-crystalline MnTe. The Néel vector points 30° from the a-axis at low $T$, before aligning directly with the a-axis around $T\simeq 260$ K. We attribute this to single-ion anisotropy, which depends on temperature-dependent lattice parameters. We obtained these results using muon-spin spectroscopy, magnetization measurements, and X-ray diffraction; we show that the findings are consistent with neutron diffraction. Manipulating this effect, for example through strain, could unlock sensitive electronic detection schemes for external stimuli, paving the way for functional altermagnetic devices.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci