Electric readout of the Néel vector in an altermagnet

Abstract

In the field of antiferromagnetic spintronics, the significant change in electrical resistance with the switching of the N\'eel vector of an antiferromagnet plays a crucial role in electrically-readable antiferromagnetic memory with opposite N\'eel vectors as binary "0" and "1". Here, we develop a comprehensive microscopic theory to explore the diverse magnetoresistance effects in an altermagnet. The theory demonstrates an eye-catching antiferromagnetic anisotropic magnetoresistance, i.e., the change in magnetoresistance with the orientation of the N\'eel vector rather than net magnetization, which is bound to become one of the most significant phenomena in spintronics. Furthermore, the interplay between the spin Hall effect and anisotropic spin splitting effect leads to a substantial electrical resistance linear to the magnetic field-controllable N\'eel vector of the altermagnet akin to the giant magnetoresistance in ferromagnetic materials and therefore is crucial for an electrically readable antiferromagnetic memory. Our microscopic theory contributes to a deeper understanding of the fundamental physics underlying antiferromagnetic spintronics and provides valuable insights for designing novel electronic devices involving altermagnets.