近日，南方科技大学刘奇航团队报道了利用取向自旋空间群的磁序对称分类。2026年4月22日出版的《自然》杂志发表了这项成果。

近几十年来，磁学领域取得了长足进展，这主要得益于其在下一代存储器件中的应用潜力。然而，即使是关于铁磁性和反铁磁性等基本概念，磁有序的分类仍然是一个持续发展的课题，尤其是随着非常规磁性材料的发现以及反铁磁自旋电子学的进步。

研究组利用最先进的自旋空间群理论，提出了磁有序的分类方法。基于自旋空间群框架是否将净自旋磁化强度限制为零，将磁有序系统地分为铁磁性（包括亚铁磁性）和反铁磁性。研究组进一步引入了“定向自旋空间群”描述，即具有固定磁化方向的自旋空间群，从而统一了自旋空间群和磁空间群框架。该方法清晰地揭示了自旋-轨道耦合所引发的对称性破缺路径。

基于所提出的群论框架，研究组识别出一种独特的磁性相，称为自旋-轨道磁性，其中净自旋磁化强度由自旋-轨道耦合诱导产生。该工作为磁有序的分类提供了一个基于对称性的全面视角，为非常规磁体提供了新的见解，并在自旋电子学和量子材料设计中具有广泛的适用性。

附：英文原文

Title: Symmetry classification of magnetic orders using oriented spin space groups

Author: Liu, Yuntian, Chen, Xiaobing, Yu, Yutong, Etxebarria, Jess, Perez-Mato, J. Manuel, Liu, Qihang

Issue&Volume: 2026-04-22

Abstract: Magnetism has seen substantial progress in recent decades, driven largely by its potential for next-generation storage devices. However, the classification of magnetic orders, even for fundamental concepts such as ferromagnetism (FM) and antiferromagnetism (AFM), remains a topic of active evolution, particularly with the discovery of unconventional magnetic materials and advances in antiferromagnetic spintronics1,2,3,4. Here we present a classification of magnetic order using the state-of-the-art spin space group (SSG) theory5,6,7,8,9,10,11. On the basis of whether the net spin magnetization is constrained to zero by the SSG framework, we systematically categorize magnetic orders into FM (including ferrimagnetism) and AFM. We further introduce an ‘oriented spin space group’ (OSSG) description, that is, a SSG with a fixed magnetic orientation, thereby unifying the SSG and magnetic space group (MSG)12,13,14 frameworks. This approach clearly reveals the symmetry-breaking pathway induced by spin–orbit coupling (SOC). On the basis of the proposed group framework, we identify a distinct magnetic phase, termed spin–orbit magnetism (SOM), in which the net spin magnetization is induced by SOC. Our work provides a comprehensive symmetry-based perspective for classifying magnetic order, offering fresh insights into unconventional magnets and broad applicability in spintronics and quantum materials design.

DOI: 10.1038/s41586-026-10401-1

Source: https://www.nature.com/articles/s41586-026-10401-1