Chiral Phonons Coupled to Spin-Split Bands in Altermagnetic CrSb and MnTe
Abstract
Altermagnets exhibit momentum-dependent spin splitting without net magnetization, providing a unique platform where magnetic order, electronic structure and lattice dynamics intertwine. Here, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the prototypical altermagnets CrSb and MnTe host locally chiral phonon modes carrying finite phonon angular momentum with a six-lobes f-wave texture in momentum space. Our results show that the chiral lattice motion originates from the pnictogen/chalcogen sublattice, while the altermagnetic spin splitting is generated by the magnetic transition-metal atoms, indicating that chiral lattice dynamics and altermagnetic electronic states originate from different atomic sublattices of the same crystal. In pristine compounds, at each valley, inversion symmetry suppresses the net phonon angular momentum despite local circular atomic motion. We further demonstrate that isoelectronic symmetry lowering induced by chemical substitution lifts this cancellation and generates finite valley phonon chirality, while keeping the altermagnetic nature of the compounds intact. Most importantly, we reveal that chiral phonons couple to momentum-dependent spin-split electronic bands through momentum-dependent electron-phonon interaction, producing characteristic modifications of the electronic structure, possibly accessible by photoemission experiments. Our results establish altermagnets as a promising platform for chiral phononics and spin-selective lattice control.
Related
BibTeX
@misc{consiglio2026chiral,
title = {{Chiral Phonons Coupled to Spin-Split Bands in Altermagnetic CrSb and MnTe}},
author = {Armando Consiglio and Maximilian Ünzelmann and Giancarlo Panaccione and Domenico Di Sante},
howpublished = {arXiv},
year = {2026},
month = nov,
doi = {10.48550/arxiv.2607.04802},
eprint = {2607.04802},
archivePrefix = {arXiv},
url = {https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.04802},
note = {CC BY 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - UNPB
TI - Chiral Phonons Coupled to Spin-Split Bands in Altermagnetic CrSb and MnTe
AU - Armando Consiglio
AU - Maximilian Ünzelmann
AU - Giancarlo Panaccione
AU - Domenico Di Sante
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/11/03
PB - arXiv
DO - 10.48550/arxiv.2607.04802
UR - https://arxiv.org/abs/2607.04802
AB - Altermagnets exhibit momentum-dependent spin splitting without net magnetization, providing a unique platform where magnetic order, electronic structure and lattice dynamics intertwine. Here, using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate that the prototypical altermagnets CrSb and MnTe host locally chiral phonon modes carrying finite phonon angular momentum with a six-lobes f-wave texture in momentum space. Our results show that the chiral lattice motion originates from the pnictogen/chalcogen sublattice, while the altermagnetic spin splitting is generated by the magnetic transition-metal atoms, indicating that chiral lattice dynamics and altermagnetic electronic states originate from different atomic sublattices of the same crystal. In pristine compounds, at each valley, inversion symmetry suppresses the net phonon angular momentum despite local circular atomic motion. We further demonstrate that isoelectronic symmetry lowering induced by chemical substitution lifts this cancellation and generates finite valley phonon chirality, while keeping the altermagnetic nature of the compounds intact. Most importantly, we reveal that chiral phonons couple to momentum-dependent spin-split electronic bands through momentum-dependent electron-phonon interaction, producing characteristic modifications of the electronic structure, possibly accessible by photoemission experiments. Our results establish altermagnets as a promising platform for chiral phononics and spin-selective lattice control.
ER -