In the realm of magnetism, altermagnets—a revolutionary new material class—have emerged, combining the properties of ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. These materials exhibit zero net magnetization due to antiparallel magnetic moments, while also displaying non-relativistic spin splitting. This dual nature leads to unique phenomena like the crystal Nernst and thermal Hall effects. Recent experiments using advanced techniques such as momentum electron microscopy and spin-resolved ARPES have confirmed the distinctive properties of altermagnets. Their potential applications are vast, including transforming spintronic data storage, enabling low-power spin memory and tunable valley devices, and contributing to high-capacity storage and magnetic computing technologies. The special topic includes, but is not limited to, the computational design and experimental fabrication of altermagnets, as well as their applications in fields such as spintronics, ultrafast optics, magnonics, superconductivity, topology, ferroelectricity, valleytronics, and hidden physics. We organize this special topic to deepen the understanding of altermagnets, facilitate knowledge exchange, and ultimately accelerate the development of this emerging field. As research on altermagnets progresses, with the discovery of new materials and the deepening of theoretical understanding, this field is poised to play an increasingly important role in future technological advancements.

Guest Editor:
Prof. Sandong Guo
Xi'an University of Posts & Telecommunications
E-mail: sandongyuwang@163.com