Crystal growth and characterizations of altermagnets

Since its theoretical identification around 2018/2019, altermagnetism (AM) has rapidly emerged as one of the most compelling topics in condensed matter physics. Early interest in AM stemmed from its unique promise for spintronics, where it offers advantages over conventional ferromagnets and antiferromagnets, particularly for enabling ultrafast, terahertz-speed spintronic devices. With the recent experimental realization of altermagnetism in several compounds, the field has broadened significantly, especially on the theoretical front, expanding into areas such as altermagnetic topology and superconductivity. This progress has elevated the importance of materials challenges, not only synthesizing new altermagnetic compounds, but also developing methods to manipulate altermagnetic domains, which is essential for any practical application. In this talk, I will present our efforts to address these challenges through materials synthesis techniques. In particular, I will discuss (i) the altermagnetism we discovered in intercalated transition-metal dichalcogenides, (ii) our attempts to manipulate altermagnetic domains in MnTe, and (iii) our growth of candidate altermagnetic topological materials.