Science & Tech · Science & Environment · 3 hrs ago
Mechanical strain can alter magnetism and electrical behavior in altermagnets
Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory used pressure to change magnetic structures in crystals of manganese telluride and iron sulfide.
They placed the crystals between two plates and used neutron beams to study how the squeeze affected them.
The materials are altermagnets, a class of magnetic materials being investigated for advanced electronics.
The squeeze shifted the balance of magnetic domains—regions with different orientations of magnetic order—and changed an electrical response called the anomalous Hall effect.
This links magnetic structure to electrical behavior and suggests strain could provide a way to adjust materials without changing their chemical makeup.
The findings could help research into spintronics, which uses electron spin as well as electrical charge to store and process information, but working devices will require further research.
Oak Ridge National Laboratory researchers found that mechanical strain can change magnetic domains and electrical behavior in altermagnetic crystals.
The team squeezed crystals of manganese telluride and iron sulfide between two titanium plates.
Neutron diffraction measurements showed changes in the crystals’ magnetic-domain populations.
The researchers also detected changes in the anomalous Hall effect, an electrical response linked to electron transport.
The findings suggest strain could offer a way to control altermagnets for potential spintronic technologies, but further research is needed to develop devices.
- Who
- Researchers at Oak Ridge National Laboratory led the experiments. Pengcheng Dai of Rice University and ORNL neutron scientist Feng Ye were among those quoted.
- What
- The team found that mechanical strain changed magnetic-domain populations and the anomalous Hall effect in altermagnetic crystals.
- When
- The studies were published on 6 August 2026 and 11 August 2026.
- Where
- The experiments used neutron diffraction at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source.
- Why
- The work investigates ways to control magnetic and electrical properties for potential spintronic technologies.
This story does not have two clearly opposing sides.
A study on strain-tuned magnetism in the altermagnet candidate H-FeS was published in Advanced Materials.
A study on the strain-tunable anomalous Hall effect in hexagonal MnTe was published in Physical Review X.
SciTechDaily reported the findings and their potential relevance to spintronic technologies.
- Research institution
- Oak Ridge National Laboratory
- Materials tested
- Manganese telluride and iron sulfide
- Measurement method
- Neutron diffraction at ORNL’s Spallation Neutron Source
- Mechanical setup
- Crystals squeezed between two titanium plates
- Publication dates
- 6 August and 11 August 2026
- Potential application
- Spintronic technologies
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What people are saying
By controlling the magnetic domains, we can directly influence the transport behavior, and that opens the door to exploring these materials for spintronic technologies,
What’s exciting is that one creative experimental idea — a small mechanical squeeze between two plates — can reveal entirely new magnetic behavior and push the field forward, and neutron scattering plays such a critical role, revealing the underlying change in magnetism,