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  • Letter
  • Open Access

Magnetic structure of RuO2 in view of altermagnetism

S. W. Lovesey1,2,3, D. D. Khalyavin1, and G. van der Laan2

  • 1ISIS Facility, STFC, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0QX, United Kingdom
  • 2Diamond Light Source, Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, Didcot, Oxfordshire OX11 0DE, United Kingdom
  • 3Department of Physics, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3PU, United Kingdom

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Phys. Rev. B 108, L121103 – Published 5 September, 2023

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.108.L121103

Abstract

The magnetic structure of RuO2 and the Ru atomic configuration are unknown. A magnetic structure is inferred by confronting measured and calculated Bragg diffraction patterns and adjusting the latter to achieve satisfactory agreement. An accepted pattern, a magnetic symmetry, includes symmetry of sites occupied by the magnetic ions. As a realistic starting point, we provide diffraction patterns for a magnetic symmetry of RuO2, a descendent of the tetragonal parent structure, which accommodates a departure of Ru axial dipoles from the crystal c axis. A chiral signal and piezomagnetic effect are permitted, and a linear magnetoelectric effect forbidden. Features of the neutron diffraction pattern test the nonrelativistic requirement of altermagnetism, and we scrutinize published room-temperature data. Specifically, one Bragg point is consistent with Ru orbital angular momentum and magnetic quadrupole both zero, and the latter result is not expected from nonrelativistic altermagnetism. Azimuthal angle scans in resonant x-ray diffraction are sensitive to the Ru site symmetry and the atomic configuration. Acid tests of the studied magnetic symmetry include a chiral signature and null intensity for unrotated photon polarization.

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Phys. Rev. B 108, L121103– Published 5 September, 2023
  • Received 20 June 2023
  • Revised 30 July 2023
  • Accepted 25 August 2023
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