Nonmagnetic-magnetic Transitions in Rutile RuO2

Rutile RuO$_2$ has attracted great interest recently, as its magnetic ground state remains controversial. Experimental studies have reported either nonmagnetic or altermagnetic (AM) ground states in different crystalline samples of RuO$_2$, highlighting the need for a reasonable explanation to resolve this contradiction. In this study, density functional theory calculations are performed to reveal the correlation-sensitive and strain-dependent magnetism of bulk RuO$_2$. On one hand, multiple AM phases with different magnitudes of the spin magnetic moment are identified in the Hubbard parameter space for RuO$_2$. On the other hand, when appropriate strains which significantly change the crystal cell volume are applied, the ground state of RuO$_2$ can undergo transitions between the nonmagnetic state with no spin splitting and the magnetic states with spin splitting in the band structure. These findings not only demonstrate intriguing physics in 4d-electron-correlated RuO$_2$, but also retain its potential for spintronic applications.