Quantum dynamics in a spin-1/2 square lattice $J_1$-$J_2$-$\hat{I}´$ altermagnet

Abstract

A key feature of the newly discovered altermagnet is that its spin degeneracy is lifted, although it has an antiferromagnetic order and zero net magnetization. In this work, we investigate a frustrated spin-1/2 $J_1$-$J_2$-$\hat{I}´$ Heisenberg model on the square lattice by the tensor network methodin combination with the linear spin-wave theory, with our focus on both the magnon excitations and longitudinal excitations.For a small $J_2$ and a finite range of $\hat{I}´$ we demonstrate that such a model hosts an altermagnetic ground state. Its magnon spectrum is split into two branches and the largest splitting occurs at $\left(\pm \ddot{I}€/2,\pm \ddot{I}€/2\right)$ in the Brillouin zone. The magnitudes of splitting in the two magnon modes are equal with respect to the case of $\hat{I}´=0$. Dynamical spin structure factors show that the low-energy peak in the longitudinal spectral weight around $(\ddot{I}€/2,\ddot{I}€/2)$ is also split, and thus the relative positions of the magnon modes and longitudinal modes in energy may change in the presence of a finite $\hat{I}´$. These findings demonstrate that the altermagnets harbor more complex quantum dynamics than the conventional collinear antiferromagnets.

The splitting in the low-energy longitudinal spectral peak is explained