Landau Theory for Non-relativistic Magnetism Beyond Altermagnetism

Abstract

In this work we study phenomenological Landau theories of non-relativistic magnetic systems, generalizing work on the collinear case to coplanar and non-coplanar orders. Focusing on zero-wavevector ($\boldsymbol{k}=0$) magnetic orders described by a single irreducible representation of the crystallographic point group, we construct the symmetry-allowed free energies to quartic order for all possible multi-dimensional irreducible ordering channels. We find distinct Landau theories for tetragonal, trigonal/hexagonal, and cubic symmetry. Similar to the case of spin-nematic fluids, we find two natural outcomes: a collapse to a lower-symmetry collinear phase or a genuinely coplanar or non-coplanar order where the order parameters form a mutually orthogonal set in spin space -- reminiscent of the $A$ and $B$ phases in ${}^3$He. We show in general that this symmetry-broken phase realizes the spin space group associated with the spatial representation of the order parameter sharing the same parent space group as the paramagnetic phase. This provides a direct link between the Landau and spin space group approaches. We calculate key observables using this Landau approach, including net magnetization, spin conductivity, multipolar moments, and piezomagnetism, connecting our results to constraints from the underlying spin space group. Examples of coplanar and non-coplanar magnetic orders for each case are worked out in detail. Finally, we discuss the relationship of the lower-symmetry collinear phases to the usual collinear spin groups, as well as connections to atomic altermagnetism, superfluid ${}^3$He and electronic nematic phases.