The study identifies a new class of layered antiferromagnets with spin-valley locking, offering efficient spin control without relying on spin–orbit coupling.

Altermagnets are a newly recognized class of materials that show momentum-dependent spin splitting without requiring spin-orbit coupling (SOC) or net magnetization. These materials have recently garnered international attention.

A research team led by Prof. Junwei Liu from the Department of Physics at the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), together with experimental collaborators, published groundbreaking findings in Nature Physics.