Energy-transfer interaction in insulating altermagnets

Determine which microscopic interaction carries energy from the heated lattice into the spins of insulating altermagnets such as MnTe, which lack conduction electrons and therefore retain the energy-flow bottleneck relevant to ultrafast demagnetization.

Background

The paper identifies exchange striction as the dominant mechanism transferring energy from a heated lattice into the spin subsystem of the insulating antiferromagnets Cr₂O₃ and FeBO₃. It further notes that insulating altermagnets such as MnTe lack conduction electrons and consequently face the same lattice-to-spin energy-transfer bottleneck during demagnetization.

The specific interaction responsible for carrying this energy flow in insulating altermagnets is not resolved in the paper. Identifying it would extend the paper’s exchange-striction-based framework to altermagnetic materials and help determine their ultrafast demagnetization dynamics.