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arXiv · 2608.12878

Magnetic reconstruction of the altermagnet {\alpha}-MnTe(0001) surface driven by ligand holes

Tomonori Tanaka·Yoshihiro Gohda
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Abstract

We show from first principles that the altermagnet {\alpha}-MnTe reconstructs its magnetic order at the Te-terminated (0001) surface. The ground state has a ferromagnetic outermost Mn bilayer in place of the bulk-continued stacking. The driver is the holes that the surface leaves on the Te mediating the exchange within that bilayer. The computed constant-energy contours agree with photoemission maps of the surface metal. Filling the holes restores the bulk order: the carrier density can control the strength of the surface coupling and, by reversing its sign, the surface magnetic order itself.

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Tomonori Tanaka, Yoshihiro Gohda. 2026-08-13. Magnetic reconstruction of the altermagnet {\alpha}-MnTe(0001) surface driven by ligand holes. https://arxiv.org/abs/2608.12878

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