Intrinsic Linear Response from Zeeman Quantum Geometry in 2D Unconventional Magnets (2508.14745v1)

Abstract: Unconventional magnets with zero net magnetization yet momentum-dependent spin splitting constitute a newly identified class of materials that provide a rich platform for quantum-geometry-driven transport phenomena. Exploiting the interplay between momentum translation and spin rotation, we uncover a distinct linear transport response governed by a generalized quantum geometric tensor, the Zeeman quantum geometric tensor (ZQGT). We show that the ZQGT drives a linear intrinsic gyrotropic magnetic current (IGMC) in the three prototypical two-dimensional unconventional magnets: a time-reversal-broken $d_{x^2 - y^2}$ altermagnet, a time-reversal-symmetric $p$-wave magnet, and a mixed $d$-wave altermagnet. Depending on symmetry, these magnets exhibit longitudinal, transverse, or combined conduction and displacement IGMCs in the presence of spin-orbit coupling. Notably, this response persists even when conventional Berry curvature contributions vanish, offering a unique probe of hidden spin-split band structures of unconventional magnets. In particular, for mixed $d$-wave altermagnets, symmetric Berry curvature and antisymmetric quantum metric respectively generate longitudinal conduction IGMC and transverse displacement IGMC- responses absent in conventional quantum geometry. The predicted signatures, relevant to compounds such as RuO$_2$, CrSb, and MnTe, provide experimentally accessible diagnostics for distinguishing unconventional magnetic phases. These findings position the ZQGT as a powerful framework for probing and controlling transport in next-generation quantum materials.