Altermagnetism in the hopping regime

Abstract: Conventional antiferromagnets are known for their time-reversal symmetry in their electronic structure, which results in a zero anomalous Hall coefficient. On the other hand, compensated magnets with noncollinear or canted moments or altermagnets can yield a nonzero anomalous Hall signal and a nondissipative transversal current. While high-symmetry systems typically exhibit an isotropic Hall effect, more interesting are low-symmetry systems, such as hematite, which demonstrates exceptional magnetotransport behavior as it becomes conductive upon slight Ti doping. We scrutinize the magnetotransport in Titanium-doped hematite, revealing a pronounced and unconventional symmetry dependence, particularly contingent on crystal orientation. Our findings establish a compelling correlation between our experimental observations and the classification of hematite as an altermagnet with anisotropic magnetotransport and anomalous Hall effect. Remarkably, our observations result from measurements in the hopping-transport regime, showing that particular transport properties in altermagnets are not limited to conventional band conduction.