Symmetry driven altermagnetic spin splitting in hexagonal CrTe from first principles.

Altermagnets are a new class of magnetic states that exhibit substantial spin splitting while maintaining zero net magnetization without spin-orbit coupling. CrTe has experimentally been considered an antiferromagnetic (AFM) material. However, in this study, we demonstrate that CrTe exhibits the characteristics of an altermagnet rather than a conventional AFM through first-principles calculations based on density functional theory (DFT). We reveal a collinear magnetic order with significant spin splitting in certain antiferromagnetic configurations. This spin splitting indicates symmetry-protected spin polarization without net magnetization, suggesting that CrTe is a high-potential altermagnet candidate. Our findings contribute to the growing body of research on materials capable of generating spin transport without macroscopic magnetization, thereby providing new opportunities for spintronic applications.