ArXiv · 2026
Hidden beneath the vanishing charge Hall response of altermagnets are spin-up and spin-down Hall currents of opposite sign—concealed, not absent—whose cancellation is enforced by symmetry. When these spin states are locked to distinct valleys, the hidden currents constitute a spin-valley Hall effect. Here we show that in 2D altermagnets with spin-valley-layer coupling (SVLC), a gate field unveils this hidden spin-valley Hall response. By lifting the symmetry-enforced compensation between valleys with opposite layer polarizations, the field converts the hidden response into a net charge Hall signal, yielding a gate-switchable electric Hall effect (EHE) enabled by SVLC. Using collinear spin layer group (cSLG) theory, we classify all 158 altermagnetic cSLGs, identify 32 that support SVLC, and predict monolayer Mg₂Os₂(SO₅)₂ and the Ca(CoN)₂-family as candidate materials. First-principles calculations for Mg₂Os₂(SO₅)₂ reveal reversible valley splitting, a gate-switchable Hall response, and a Kerr rotation exceeding 1 mrad whose sign reverses together with the EHE signal. These results establish a symmetry-based route to all-electrical valley-spin control and identify altermagnets as promising platforms for high-performance valley transport and electrically switchable magneto-optics.
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