Altermagnetism in NiSi with non-collinear spins

Recently, a new class of magnetic phenomenon, called altermagnetism, was proposed where the underlying spin configuration resembles antiferromagnetic structure, but the system violates PT (PT: Parity times Time reversal) symmetry due to the alternation of crystalline symmetry across magnetic ions. Although the original idea was proposed for the collinear spin structure, a recent report by Cheong et al. has suggested that antiferromagnetic materials with non-collinear spin structure and local alternation of crystalline arrangement can also manifest altermagnetism. Besides breaking the PT symmetry, altermagnetic compounds are also expected to exhibit anomalous Hall effects of odd orders. Here, we discuss possible candidates in this regard. One example is nickel monosilicide, which was recently shown to exhibit high temperature antiferromagnetism with non-collinear spin structure. It fulfills both criteria of breaking the PT symmetry and linear anomalous Hall effect. In addition to NiSi, we also discuss two other potential experimental venues for the exploration of altermagnetic states.