dorsal/arxiv
View SchemaHidden half-metallicity
| Authors | San-Dong Guo, Pan Zhou |
|---|---|
| Categories | |
| ArXiv ID | 2601.07128vv1 |
| URL | https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07128 |
| License | http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/ |
Abstract
Half-metals, featuring ideal 100\% spin polarization, are widely regarded as key materials for spintronic and quantum technologies; however, the half-metallic state is intrinsically fragile, as it relies on a delicate balance of exchange splitting and band filling and is therefore highly susceptible to disorder, external perturbations, and thermal effects. Here we introduce the concept of hidden half-metallicity, whereby the global electronic structure of a symmetry-enforced net-zero-magnetization magnet is non-half-metallic, while each of its two symmetry-related sectors is individually half-metallic, enabling robust 100\% spin polarization through a layer degree of freedom. Crucially, the vanishing net magnetization of the entire system suppresses stray fields and magnetic instabilities, rendering the half-metallic functionality inherently more robust than in conventional ferromagnetic half-metals. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate this mechanism in a $PT$-symmetric bilayer $\mathrm{CrS_2}$, and further show that an external electric field drives the system into a seemingly forbidden fully compensated ferrimagnetic metal in which hidden half-metallicity persists. Finally, we briefly confirm the realization of hidden half-metallicity in altermagnets, establishing a general paradigm for stabilizing half-metallic behavior by embedding it in symmetry-protected hidden sectors and opening a new route toward the design and discovery of unprecedented half-metallic phases.
{
"annotation_id": "70e94bfe-8e7a-44e2-84bd-5204e7716b21",
"date_created": "2026-02-17T05:53:11.272000Z",
"date_modified": "2026-02-17T05:53:11.272000Z",
"file_hash": "04cce2ddaae8f688abaf76e1a8f6bafca305a994d8dfe3846d7e4a4076986ffd",
"private": false,
"record": {
"abstract": "Half-metals, featuring ideal 100\\% spin polarization, are widely regarded as key materials for spintronic and quantum technologies; however, the half-metallic state is intrinsically fragile, as it relies on a delicate balance of exchange splitting and band filling and is therefore highly susceptible to disorder, external perturbations, and thermal effects. Here we introduce the concept of hidden half-metallicity, whereby the global electronic structure of a symmetry-enforced net-zero-magnetization magnet is non-half-metallic, while each of its two symmetry-related sectors is individually half-metallic, enabling robust 100\\% spin polarization through a layer degree of freedom. Crucially, the vanishing net magnetization of the entire system suppresses stray fields and magnetic instabilities, rendering the half-metallic functionality inherently more robust than in conventional ferromagnetic half-metals. Using first-principles calculations, we demonstrate this mechanism in a $PT$-symmetric bilayer $\\mathrm{CrS_2}$, and further show that an external electric field drives the system into a seemingly forbidden fully compensated ferrimagnetic metal in which hidden half-metallicity persists. Finally, we briefly confirm the realization of hidden half-metallicity in altermagnets, establishing a general paradigm for stabilizing half-metallic behavior by embedding it in symmetry-protected hidden sectors and opening a new route toward the design and discovery of unprecedented half-metallic phases.",
"arxiv_id": "2601.07128",
"authors": [
"San-Dong Guo",
"Pan Zhou"
],
"categories": [
"cond-mat.mtrl-sci"
],
"license": "http://arxiv.org/licenses/nonexclusive-distrib/1.0/",
"title": "Hidden half-metallicity",
"url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2601.07128",
"version": "v1"
},
"schema_id": "dorsal/arxiv",
"source": {
"execution_id": "54c021a6-fd66-4699-ab57-f8586e902be0",
"id": "arXiv Dataset",
"type": "Model",
"variant": "snapshot-2026-01-17",
"version": "0.1.0"
},
"user_id": 1000002
}