| Abstract Scope |
Magnetic materials are traditionally sorted into two types - ferromagnets and antiferromagnets. Recently, a third new type of magnetic order has been proposed: altermagnetism. Altermagnetism is characterized by a spin-split band structure, which is typical of ferromagnets, and no net magnetization, which is typical of antiferromagnets. Previous calculations with FeSb2 found the ground state to have antiferromagnetic order, but also showed the existence of an altermagnetic phase slightly higher in energy. This suggests that slight changes to the material could stabilize the altermagnetic phase. In this work, we use density functional theory calculations to explore the effect of mechanical strain on magnetism in FeSb2. We find that under tensile strain, the altermagnetic phase becomes favored. This reversal in the relative stability of the antiferromagnetic and altermagnetic phases is attributed in part to strain-induced changes in the electronic density of states. |