"Unveiling Altermagnetism: A Breakthrough in Magnetism Research"
A new spin-group-symmetry classification has identified an unconventional magnetic phase called altermagnetic, which allows for lifted Kramers spin degeneracy (LKSD) without net magnetization and inversion-symmetry breaking. This altermagnetic LKSD has been confirmed in centrosymmetric MnTe using photoemission spectroscopy and ab initio calculations, revealing two distinct unconventional mechanisms of LKSD. The discovery of altermagnetic LKSD could have broad implications in fields such as spintronics, ultrafast magnetism, and topological matter, and may lead to the exploration of unconventional magnetic phases in various materials.