SPICE Workshop on Ferrons and Magnons: friends or foes? July 7th - 9th, 2026
Libor Šmejkal
I will introduce the framework of spin crystallography, which extends conventional crystallographic principles to symmetries arising solely from spin order, independent of spin–orbit coupling. This framework has enabled the prediction and classification of unconventional magnetic phases, including d-, g-, and i-wave spin-polarized altermagnets, as well as p-, f-, and h-wave spin-polarized antialtermagnets.
I will then show how spin symmetry predicts multiferroic variants of altermagnets and antialtermagnets including material candidates BiFeO3 and Gd2Mn2O5. Finally, I will demonstrate how unconventional symmetry-allowed couplings enable electric-field control of both nonrelativistic and relativistic altermagnetic spin polarization, thereby enabling previously overlooked spintronic functionalities.
[1] T. Jungwirth, J. Sinova, R. M. Fernandes, Q. Liu, H. Watanabe, S. Murakami, S. Nakatsuji, and L. Šmejkal, Nature 649, 837–847 (2026)
[2] L. Šmejkal, arXiv:2411.19928 (2026)
[3] J. Priessnitz, A. B. Hellenes, R. Comin, and L. Šmejkal, arXiv:2603.19107 (2026)
[4] W. H. Campos, F. C. Fobasso Mbognou, A. B. Hellenes, J. Poata, T. Chen, J. Priessnitz, and L. Šmejkal, arXiv:2603.12223 (2026)