arXiv · 2509.08254
Nonlinear opto-magnetic signature of d-wave altermagnets
Abstract
Altermagnetism, a recently discovered collinear magnetic order with net zero magnetization but exhibiting spin-splitting band structure, has attracted much research interest due to the rich fundamental physics and possible applications. In this work, we investigate the opto-magnetic response of $d$-wave altermagnets, focusing on the inverse Cotton-Mouton effect--the induction of static magnetization via linearly polarized light. We find that the direction of the induced magnetization is determined by the N\'eel vector. Moreover, its magnitude exhibits a periodic dependence on the polarization angle of the incident light, a hallmark of the system's symmetry. Our findings demonstrate that the inverse Cotton-Mouton effect offers a direct method both for detecting $d$-wave altermagnets and for probing their intrinsic properties.
Explore related subjects
Keep this discovery
Lijun Yang, Long Liang. 2025-09-10. Nonlinear opto-magnetic signature of d-wave altermagnets. https://doi.org/10.1103/gly7-jzfl
Cite the original work for its findings. Save a collection to share your selection of sources.