---
OA_place: publisher
OA_type: gold
_id: '21437'
abstract:
- lang: eng
  text: Altermagnets are a class of collinear magnets that exhibit non-relativistic
    spin splitting (NRSS) of electronic bands in the absence of net magnetization.
    Their potential to generate large spin polarization without spin-orbit coupling
    has created strong interest in probes that access the underlying order parameter
    directly. In this Perspective, we show that linear magneto-birefringence (LMB)
    provides a natural and broadly applicable route to detecting altermagnetic order.
    Building on the correspondence between the momentum-space structure of NRSS and
    the ferroic ordering of magnetic multipoles in real space, we demonstrate how
    $d$-wave and $g$-wave NRSS textures yield distinct LMB responses. We present a
    symmetry-based framework that identifies the optical geometries and field configurations
    required to isolate specific multipole components, enabling domain imaging and
    providing benchmarks for theoretical models of LMB.
acknowledgement: We thank Nicola Spaldin and Marc Vila for valuable discussions. J.O.
  received support from the Quantum Materials (KC2202) program under the U.S. Department
  of Energy, Office of Science, Office of Basic Energy Sciences, Materials Sciences
  and Engineering Division under Contract No. DE-AC02-05CH11231, and the Gordon and
  Betty Moore Foundation's EPiQS Initiative through Grant GBMF4537 to J.O. at UC Berkeley.
article_processing_charge: Yes
article_type: original
arxiv: 1
author:
- first_name: Veronika
  full_name: Sunko, Veronika
  id: 23cb1cf6-2c7a-11ef-91a4-f72fc19f20b3
  last_name: Sunko
  orcid: 0000-0003-2724-3523
- first_name: J.
  full_name: Orenstein, J.
  last_name: Orenstein
citation:
  ama: Sunko V, Orenstein J. Linear magneto-birefringence as a probe of altermagnetism.
    <i>npj Quantum Materials</i>. 2026. doi:<a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8">10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8</a>
  apa: Sunko, V., &#38; Orenstein, J. (2026). Linear magneto-birefringence as a probe
    of altermagnetism. <i>Npj Quantum Materials</i>. Springer Nature. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8</a>
  chicago: Sunko, Veronika, and J. Orenstein. “Linear Magneto-Birefringence as a Probe
    of Altermagnetism.” <i>Npj Quantum Materials</i>. Springer Nature, 2026. <a href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8">https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8</a>.
  ieee: V. Sunko and J. Orenstein, “Linear magneto-birefringence as a probe of altermagnetism,”
    <i>npj Quantum Materials</i>. Springer Nature, 2026.
  ista: Sunko V, Orenstein J. 2026. Linear magneto-birefringence as a probe of altermagnetism.
    npj Quantum Materials.
  mla: Sunko, Veronika, and J. Orenstein. “Linear Magneto-Birefringence as a Probe
    of Altermagnetism.” <i>Npj Quantum Materials</i>, Springer Nature, 2026, doi:<a
    href="https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8">10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8</a>.
  short: V. Sunko, J. Orenstein, Npj Quantum Materials (2026).
corr_author: '1'
date_created: 2026-03-11T10:40:08Z
date_published: 2026-05-30T00:00:00Z
date_updated: 2026-06-24T10:31:05Z
day: '30'
ddc:
- '530'
department:
- _id: VeSu
doi: 10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8
external_id:
  arxiv:
  - '2511.16421'
fulldoi: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8
has_accepted_license: '1'
language:
- iso: eng
license: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/
main_file_link:
- open_access: '1'
  url: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41535-026-00901-8
month: '05'
oa: 1
oa_version: Published Version
publication: npj Quantum Materials
publication_identifier:
  eissn:
  - 2397-4648
publication_status: epub_ahead
publisher: Springer Nature
status: public
title: Linear magneto-birefringence as a probe of altermagnetism
tmp:
  image: /images/cc_by_nc_nd.png
  legal_code_url: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc-nd/4.0/legalcode
  name: Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International
    (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0)
  short: CC BY-NC-ND (4.0)
type: journal_article
user_id: 2DF688A6-F248-11E8-B48F-1D18A9856A87
year: '2026'
...