Chiral split magnons in metallic g-wave altermagnets : insights from many-body perturbation theory

Abstract

Altermagnets are a novel class of magnetic materials that bridge the gap between ferromagnets (FMs) and antiferromagnets (AFMs). A key feature is the non-degeneracy of magnon modes where spin splitting occurs, leading to chirality and direction-dependent magnon dispersions governed by symmetry. We explore this in metallic g-wave altermagnets (TPn, where T = V, Cr; Pn = As, Sb, Bi) using density functional and many-body perturbation theories. We analyze the influence of pnictogen substitution on spin splitting and magnon behavior. We uncover anisotropic magnon band splitting aligned with electronic structure, and wavevector- and chirality-dependent damping due to Stoner excitations. We identify regions in the Brillouin zone where the chiral magnon splitting overcomes the damping. These findings suggest altermagnets are promising for spintronic and magnonic technologies, where direction-dependent magnon lifetimes and nonreciprocal magno transport may enable chiral magnon propagation, while wavevector-selective damping could be harnessed for fast and controllable magnetization switching.