Magnetocaloric Effect for the Altermagnetic Candidate MnTe
Orlova N.N., Esin V.D., Timonova A.V., Kolesnikov N.N., Devyatov E.V.

Received: June 23, 2026

DOI: 10.31857/S0044451026090066

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We experimentally investigate magnetocaloric effect for single crystals of altermagnetic candidate MnTe at the transition to the state with spontaneous spin polarization, i.e., well below the Néel temperature of MnTe. The isothermal magnetic entropy change Δ S is calculated from the experimental magnetization curves by using Maxwell relation. We observe well-defined magnetocaloric effect as a narrow Δ S peak around the critical temperature T_c\approx 81 K, which reflects the sharp magnetization jump. This behavior is unusual for standard ferromagnetic transitions, so it confirms the predicted spin-orbit-induced spin polarization in the MnTe altermagnetic state and, therefore, confirms MnTe as a prototypical altermagnet candidate. Keywords: altermagnetism, magnetocaloric effect, magnetic entropy change, spontaneous magnetization