Néel vector-dependent anomalous transport in altermagnetic metal CrSb

Abstract

Altermagnets are predicted to exhibit anomalous transport phenomena, such as the anomalous Hall and Nernst effects, as observed in ferromagnets but with a vanishing net magnetic moment, akin to antiferromagnets. Despite their potential, progress has been limited due to the scarcity of metallic altermagnets. Motivated by the recent discovery of the altermagnetic metal CrSb, we conducted a systematic study of its electrical and thermoelectric transport properties, using first-principles calculations. CrSb exhibits low magnetocrystalline anisotropy energy, enabling the manipulation of the Néel vector in CrSb films through a suitable ferromagnetic substrate. The anomalous Hall and Nernst conductivities reach their maximum when the Néel vector is aligned along \(\frac{1}{2}{\boldsymbol{a}}+{\boldsymbol{b}}\). The origins of both conductivities were analyzed in terms of Berry curvature distribution. Our results demonstrate that CrSb provides a good platform for investigating the Néel vector-dependent anomalous transport in altermagnetic metals.