2026-05-29 バッファロー大学（UB）
An illustration of the atomic structure of altermagnets. Neighboring atoms are rotated and their magnetic spins are flipped. Photo: Libor Šmejkal & Anna Birk Hellenes
＜関連情報＞
- https://www.buffalo.edu/news/releases/2026/05/new-type-of-magnetism.html
- https://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/2ppn-kvjv
変磁性秩序の量子不純物センシング Quantum Impurity Sensing of Altermagnetic Order
V. A. S. V. Bittencourt, Hossein Hosseinabadi, Jairo Sinova,, Libor Šmejkal, and Jamir Marino
Physical Review Letters Published: 8 April, 2026
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/2ppn-kvjv
Abstract
Quantum sensing with individual spin defects has emerged as a versatile platform to probe microscopic properties of condensed matter systems. Here we demonstrate that quantum relaxometry with nitrogen-vacancy (NV) centers in diamond can reveal the anisotropic spin dynamics of altermagnetic insulators together with their characteristic spin polarised bands. We show that the distance and orientation dependent relaxation rate of a nearby quantum impurity encodes signatures of momentum space anisotropy in the spin diffusion response, a hallmark of altermagnetic order. This directional sensitivity is unprecedented in the landscape of quantum materials sensing, and it enables the distinction of altermagnets from conventional antiferromagnets via local, noninvasive measurements. Our results could spark new NV-sensing experiments on spin transport and symmetry breaking in altermagnets, and highlight the role of NV orientation to probe anisotropic phenomena in condensed matter systems.
