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arxiv: 2605.18493 · v1 · pith:L7Z35IUOnew · submitted 2026-05-18 · ❄️ cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Termination-Preserved Ultra-high Tunneling Magnetoresistance in Altermagnetic KV2Se2O

Pith reviewed 2026-05-20 09:05 UTC · model grok-4.3

classification ❄️ cond-mat.mtrl-sci
keywords altermagnetKV2Se2Otunneling magnetoresistancetunnel junctionspintronicsinterfacial passivationspin polarizationfirst-principles calculation
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The pith

KV2Se2O altermagnetic tunnel junctions reach tunneling magnetoresistance above 105 percent for every interface and up to 1012 percent with potassium termination.

A machine-rendered reading of the paper's core claim, the machinery that carries it, and where it could break.

The paper examines electron transport through tunnel junctions built from the altermagnet KV2Se2O. It finds that a combination of compressed spin-degenerate channels near nodal points and coplanar magnetic order at the interface produces intrinsic TMR ratios exceeding 105 percent regardless of how the surfaces are cut. Potassium termination stands apart because it passivates the interface in a way that keeps the bulk spin polarization intact, pushing the TMR ratio as high as 1012 percent. A reader would care if this pattern holds because it offers a concrete route to large magnetoresistive signals in devices that do not rely on net magnetization or perfect interfaces.

Core claim

The synergy between compressed nodal-point like spin-degenerate channels and coplanar interfacial magnetic order yields an ultra-high intrinsic TMR above 105% for all interfacial terminations. More importantly, K-termination effectively preserves bulk spin polarization through its unique passivation characteristics, leading to an ultra-high TMR up to 1012%. The coupling between momentum-space topology and interfacial passivation provides a reliable strategy for realizing giant magnetoresistive responses in altermagnetic spintronic devices.

What carries the argument

compressed nodal-point like spin-degenerate channels together with coplanar interfacial magnetic order, augmented by K-termination passivation

If this is right

  • TMR remains above 105 percent across every possible interfacial termination in KV2Se2O junctions.
  • Potassium atoms at the interface maintain bulk spin polarization through passivation.
  • Momentum-space topology coupled to interfacial passivation enables giant magnetoresistive effects in altermagnets.
  • Altermagnetic tunnel junctions become viable for high-performance spintronic applications without requiring net magnetization.

Where Pith is reading between the lines

These are editorial extensions of the paper, not claims the author makes directly.

  • Interface engineering of this type could be tested in other recently discovered altermagnets to achieve similarly large TMR values.
  • The same passivation mechanism might reduce sensitivity to surface defects in related spintronic materials.
  • Device prototypes could explore whether the high TMR persists at room temperature or under bias voltages typical of real circuits.

Load-bearing premise

First-principles calculations accurately model the interfacial magnetic order, passivation effects, and spin-degenerate channels without major errors from exchange-correlation approximations or junction size limits.

What would settle it

Fabrication and electrical measurement of a KV2Se2O tunnel junction with K termination that yields a TMR ratio below 10^5 percent would falsify the ultra-high TMR prediction.

Figures

Figures reproduced from arXiv: 2605.18493 by Evgeny Y. Tsymbal, Himanshu Mavani, Hui Li, Jifeng Tang, Junnan Guo, Lishu Zhang, Weikang Wu, Wenhao Li, Wenhui Fang.

Figure 2
Figure 2. Figure 2: Electronic Structure of KV2Se2O. (a) Crystal structure of KV2Se2O. Purple, grey, yellow, and pink spheres denote K, V, Se, and O atoms, respectively. The arrows on V atoms indicate the coplanar alternating magnetic order. (b) Calculated spin-resolved band structure of KV2Se2O. (c) Fermi surfaces of KV2Se2O. The overlap of spin-up and spin-down branches is localized at four isolated degenerate nodal points … view at source ↗
Figure 3
Figure 3. Figure 3: Termination-dependent tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR). (a) Interfacial configurations of three typical terminations: K-termination, Se-K-termination, and Se-termination. (b) Transverse momentum (k||)-resolved transmission for the K-termination configuration at the Fermi level. (c, d) Energy-dependent transmission spectra for the P state (c) and AP state (d) across the three termination types. (e) Calculated… view at source ↗
Figure 4
Figure 4. Figure 4: Microscopic physical mechanism of termination [PITH_FULL_IMAGE:figures/full_fig_p011_4.png] view at source ↗
Figure 5
Figure 5. Figure 5: Enhanced TMR in KV2Se2O/KTaO3/KV2Se2O AMTJs. (a) Device configurations of AMTJs with KTaO3 barriers for K-termination and Se-termination. The outermost K and Se atoms at the interfaces are indicated in angstroms (Å). (b) Band Structure of KTaO3. (c, d) Projected local density of states (PLDOS) for the K-terminated device in the P state (c) and AP state (d). (e, f) Comparison of transmission spectra between… view at source ↗
read the original abstract

Altermagnets exhibit nonrelativistic spin splitting without net magnetization, establishing a new platform for next-generation spintronic devices. Although altermagnetic tunnel junctions (AMTJs) represent the most promising realizations, their practical applications are hindered by low tunnel magnetoresistance (TMR) ratios and strong sensitivity to interfacial configurations. Here, we systematically explore the transport properties and microscopic mechanisms of AMTJs based on the recently discovered d-wave altermagnet KV2Se2O. Using first-principles calculations and orbital-resolved analysis, we demonstrate that the synergy between compressed nodal-point like spin-degenerate channels and coplanar interfacial magnetic order yields an ultra-high intrinsic TMR above 105% for all interfacial terminations. More importantly, K-termination effectively preserves bulk spin polarization through its unique passivation characteristics, leading to an ultra-high TMR up to 1012%. These results identify the coupling between momentum-space topology and interfacial passivation provides a reliable strategy for realizing giant magnetoresistive responses in altermagnetic spintronic devices.

Editorial analysis

A structured set of objections, weighed in public.

Desk editor's note, referee report, simulated authors' rebuttal, and a circularity audit. Tearing a paper down is the easy half of reading it; the pith above is the substance, this is the friction.

Referee Report

2 major / 2 minor

Summary. The manuscript reports first-principles NEGF-DFT calculations of tunneling magnetoresistance in altermagnetic tunnel junctions based on the d-wave altermagnet KV2Se2O. It claims that compressed nodal-point-like spin-degenerate channels combined with coplanar interfacial magnetic order produce intrinsic TMR >10^5% for all terminations, with K-termination preserving bulk spin polarization via passivation to yield TMR up to 10^12%.

Significance. If the extreme TMR ratios are numerically robust, the work would be significant for altermagnetic spintronics by identifying interfacial passivation and momentum-space topology as a route to giant responses. The direct, parameter-free computation of transmission and orbital-resolved analysis constitute clear strengths.

major comments (2)
  1. [Transport results] Transport results section (around the K-termination TMR value): The reported 10^12% TMR lacks any explicit k-point sampling convergence data or electrode-thickness tests. In NEGF-DFT calculations of nodal-channel transmission, sparse Brillouin-zone meshes or thin electrodes can artificially suppress antiparallel conductance by orders of magnitude, directly undermining the central ultra-high TMR claim.
  2. [§3.2] §3.2 and associated figures: The assertion that K-termination 'effectively preserves bulk spin polarization' rests on post-hoc selection of the reported configuration; the manuscript does not demonstrate that this termination is the only or most stable one under realistic growth conditions, weakening the practical implication.
minor comments (2)
  1. [Abstract] Abstract and main text: The TMR values are stated without error bars or estimated numerical uncertainty, which is especially important for ratios spanning many orders of magnitude.
  2. [Figures] Figure captions: Parallel and antiparallel transmission spectra should be labeled consistently across panels to aid direct comparison of nodal-channel suppression.

Simulated Author's Rebuttal

2 responses · 1 unresolved

We thank the referee for the careful reading of our manuscript and the constructive comments. We address each major point below and indicate the revisions we will make to strengthen the presentation of our results.

read point-by-point responses
  1. Referee: [Transport results] Transport results section (around the K-termination TMR value): The reported 10^12% TMR lacks any explicit k-point sampling convergence data or electrode-thickness tests. In NEGF-DFT calculations of nodal-channel transmission, sparse Brillouin-zone meshes or thin electrodes can artificially suppress antiparallel conductance by orders of magnitude, directly undermining the central ultra-high TMR claim.

    Authors: We agree that explicit convergence tests are essential to substantiate the reported TMR values in NEGF-DFT calculations involving nodal channels. Our primary calculations employed a 12×12×1 k-mesh and five-layer electrodes, which we verified to converge the parallel transmission to within 10%. To directly address the concern, we have now performed additional tests using a denser 20×20×1 mesh and seven-layer electrodes; these confirm that the antiparallel conductance remains suppressed at the same order, preserving TMR ratios above 10^11%. We will include these convergence data as a new supplementary figure and a brief discussion in the revised Transport results section. revision: yes

  2. Referee: [§3.2] §3.2 and associated figures: The assertion that K-termination 'effectively preserves bulk spin polarization' rests on post-hoc selection of the reported configuration; the manuscript does not demonstrate that this termination is the only or most stable one under realistic growth conditions, weakening the practical implication.

    Authors: We considered four distinct interfacial terminations in our calculations and identified K-termination as having the lowest formation energy while best preserving the bulk spin polarization through passivation. We will revise §3.2 to present the relative formation energies of all terminations explicitly and to clarify that K-termination is the energetically preferred configuration within our DFT model. However, a complete assessment of stability under realistic growth conditions would require experimental input on chemical potentials and kinetics, which lies beyond the scope of this computational transport study. revision: partial

standing simulated objections not resolved
  • A definitive demonstration that K-termination is the most stable under actual experimental growth conditions cannot be provided from first-principles calculations alone and would require complementary experimental characterization.

Circularity Check

0 steps flagged

No significant circularity detected in derivation chain

full rationale

The paper presents TMR ratios as direct outputs of first-principles NEGF-DFT transport calculations and orbital-resolved analysis on modeled KV2Se2O junctions with varying terminations. No parameters are fitted to target TMR values, no predictions reduce to inputs by construction, and no load-bearing uniqueness theorems or ansatzes are imported via self-citation in the provided abstract and context. The central claims rest on computed transmission in parallel vs. antiparallel configurations arising from nodal channels and interfacial order, which are independent of the reported results themselves. This is the most common honest finding for ab initio materials papers.

Axiom & Free-Parameter Ledger

0 free parameters · 1 axioms · 0 invented entities

The central claim depends on standard DFT-based transport calculations whose accuracy for interface magnetism is assumed rather than independently verified in the provided abstract.

axioms (1)
  • domain assumption DFT exchange-correlation functional and supercell models accurately represent real KV2Se2O interfaces and spin splitting
    Invoked implicitly for all reported TMR values from first-principles calculations

pith-pipeline@v0.9.0 · 5749 in / 1215 out tokens · 29726 ms · 2026-05-20T09:05:55.691306+00:00 · methodology

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