For close to a century, two principal forms of magnetic ordering in materials have been recognized, but now for the first time, scientists say they have experimentally confirmed a third variety—and one that could potentially have a transformative effect on the development of advanced electronics.
Known as altermagnetism, this mysterious new variety of magnetism now joins the existing known varieties—ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism—according to findings by a research team led by the U.S. Department of Energy’s SLAC National Accelerator Laboratory. The achievement marks the first recognized experimental confirmation of this unique form of magnetism, which has long been a research focus for physicists.
The discovery was achieved during demonstrations with manganese telluride, a material that was previously classified as being antiferromagnetic. However, the material also displays distinctive properties that led some researchers in past studies to question whether it could genuinely be characterized in this way, or if its unique aspects could be better explained by altermagnetism.
Unconventional Magnets
While conventional magnets feature electron spins that align in the same direction, altermagnets feature electrons with alternating spins that cancel their overall magnetization.
However, subtle differences in their crystal structures also allow them to achieve something novel: they can generate electrical currents that are also spin-polarized.
To confirm this phenomenon, the SLAC researchers used polarized X-rays in experiments made possible at the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility in France. These experiments helped the team unveil a distinctive form of asymmetry that physicists call chirality, which under these conditions could not be explained by conventional antiferromagnetism.
“This chiral signature gave us the solid experimental ground to say altermagnetism stands in a class of its own,” said researcher Daniel Jost, who led the experiments, in a recent statement.
A New Magnetism Milestone
The team’s findings could have major implications for the field of spintronics, which involves the use of electrons’ spin to help process and store information.
Additionally, through the combination of magnetic stability and the ability to produce spin-polarized currents, researchers anticipate that in the coming years, altermagnetic materials could also be used to help enable faster, and significantly more energy-efficient memory devices, quantum technologies, and data centers.
Jost says that while traditional ferromagnets are too easily influenced by magnetic fields when it comes to applications for spintronics, and that antiferromagnets also have their limitations, the same can’t be said of altermagnets.
“Altermagnets combine the best of both,” Jost said in a recent statement. “They have zero net magnetization, so they’re stable, but they still have the capability to generate spin-polarized currents needed to easily extract information.”
“That gives you an additional degree of freedom to work with,” Jost added.
The team’s findings were published in the recent research study, “Chiral altermagnon in MnTe,” which was published in the journal Science on October 29, 2026.
Micah Hanks is the Editor-in-Chief and Co-Founder of The Debrief. A longtime reporter on science, defense, and technology with a focus on space and astronomy, he can be reached at micah@thedebrief.org. Follow him on X @MicahHanks, and at micahhanks.com.