Floquet-induced altermagnetic transition in -type antiferromagnetic bilayers
Phys. Rev. B 112, 224430 – Published 18 December, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/nn5t-kmln
Abstract
Two-dimensional (2D) altermagnetism has attracted considerable attention due to its low-dimensional character and intrinsic combination of spin splitting with zero net magnetization. In previous work, we developed a general stacking theory (GST) to identify stacking-induced altermagnetism in 2D -type bilayers; however, many systems are symmetry-restricted, preventing realization through stacking alone. Here, we show that Floquet engineering can lift these symmetry constraints by breaking the combined inversion and time-reversal symmetry (), enabling a transition from an -type antiferromagnet to an altermagnet in 2D bilayers. By combining the GST with a comprehensive group-theoretical symmetry analysis, we find that only bilayers with initial centrosymmetric point groups or can undergo such Floquet-induced transitions. Systematic screening identifies 349 stacking configurations, derived from 80 monolayer layer groups, that satisfy the necessary group-subgroup symmetry conditions. First-principles calculations on bilayer with and symmetries confirm the emergence of light-induced spin splitting consistent with the predicted altermagnetic spin point groups. These findings establish a Floquet-based framework for designing dynamically tunable 2D altermagnets and point toward potential applications in spintronic devices and low-dimensional magnetic systems.