Magnon orbital Nernst effect in altermagnets

Magnon orbital Nernst effect in altermagnets | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Magnon orbital Nernst effect in altermagnets Markus Weißenhofer, M.S. Mrudul, Sergiy Mankovsky, Peter M. Oppeneer This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-7686426/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in npj Quantum Materials → Version 1 posted 9 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Rotating magnon wave packets carrying orbital moments offer a pathway to unconventional transport phenomena. Here, we investigate magnon orbital moments and the magnon orbital Nernst effect in the prototypical altermagnets RuO2 and CrSb using first-principles calculations, linear response theory, and symmetry analysis. While symmetry constraints enforce vanishing equilibrium magnon orbital moments, we find that in thermal non-equilibrium a finite and robust magnon orbital Nernst effect emerges from the anisotropic Heisenberg exchange, regardless of spin-orbit coupling. This effect is intrinsically tied to the unique exchange splitting of magnon dispersions in altermagnets and is absent in conventional antiferromagnets. Magnon orbital moment transport displays markedly reduced sensitivity to the orientation of the Néel vector, temperature gradient, and magnetic domain structure compared to the magnon spin Seebeck and spin Nernst effects, enabling its persistence even in polycrystalline samples with arbitrary domain configurations. Our results position magnon orbital transport as a promising and robust functional mechanism for orbitronic and spintronic devices, and as a potential indirect probe of altermagnetism in disordered insulating systems. Physical sciences/Materials science Physical sciences/Physics Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Cite Share Download PDF Status: Published Journal Publication published 06 Feb, 2026 Read the published version in npj Quantum Materials → Version 1 posted Editorial decision: Revision requested 22 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 15 Nov, 2025 Reviews received at journal 30 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 28 Oct, 2025 Reviewers agreed at journal 17 Oct, 2025 Reviewers invited by journal 12 Oct, 2025 Editor assigned by journal 11 Oct, 2025 Submission checks completed at journal 08 Oct, 2025 First submitted to journal 22 Sep, 2025 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. 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Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-7686426","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":533504569,"identity":"27dc16f2-1272-40de-8999-fa1994ccdc79","order_by":0,"name":"Markus Weißenhofer","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Uppsala University","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Markus","middleName":"","lastName":"Weißenhofer","suffix":""},{"id":533504570,"identity":"2252695c-0ecf-419c-9663-44c7235483d5","order_by":1,"name":"M.S. 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