Probing the role of strain on the magnetic structure of altermagnetic CrSb layers

Altermagnetic materials, such as CrSb, which exhibit collinear-compensated magnetism and spin-split non-relativistic band structures, are of great interest for spintronics applications due to their ability to combine ferromagnetic and antiferromagnetic properties. In bulk CrSb, the magnetic structure has been well characterized, but little is known about the magnetic behavior of thin films, where epitaxial strain from the substrate can introduce significant distortions. This study aims to explore the impact of strain on the magnetic structure of CrSb by comparing neutron diffraction results from lattice-matched CrSb(0001) thin films and distorted CrSb(1-100) films grown on mismatched substrates. These films will be compared to bulk CrSb to investigate the origin of phenomena such as the anomalous Hall effect, which has been observed in strained CrSb films but not in the bulk material. By targeting key Bragg peaks that reveal the Néel vector orientation, we aim to shed light on the role of substrate-induced distortions in tuning the magnetic properties of CrSb, contributing to the broader understanding of strain effects in altermagnetic materials.