Parity and time-reversal invariant Ising spin ordering

Abstract: The interplay of antiferromagnetic order, momentum-dependent Bloch spin-splitting, time-reversal (T), and parity (P) symmetries in non-relativistic systems has emerged as a central theme for spintronics. Two well-known examples are P-preserving and T-violating altermagnets and P-violating and T-preserving odd-parity magnets. These both exhibit an Ising, or uniaxial, Bloch spin-splitting. Here we introduce a new class of coplanar AFMs that generate a P and T symmetric, translation-invariant Ising spin order in real space. Naively, such AFMs are not expected to exhibit unusual phenomena. Here we show that the spin-rotational symmetry breaking generated by these AFMs allows: pure non-relativistic longitudinal (or transverse) spin-conductivities, the generation of non-relativistic altermagnetic spin-splittings through circularly polarized light, and the generation of non-relativistic odd-parity spin-splittings through parity symmetry breaking, by, for example, applied electric fields. We identify 16 candidate materials in the Magndata database for which our theory applies and provide effective microscopic models and DFT-based results that highlight the large emergent responses.