Czech scientists receive 2026 Europhysics Prize for discovery of altermagnetism
Libor Šmejkal, Jairo Sinova and Tomáš Jungwirth have received the 2026 Europhysics Prize from the European Physical Society for their outstanding contribution to condensed-matter physics and the discovery of altermagnetism, a third fundamental class of magnetism.
It is the first time the prestigious award has been given to Czech scientists.
The three researchers were honoured for groundbreaking work demonstrating that, alongside ferromagnetism and antiferromagnetism, nature also contains a third fundamental form of magnetic order.
The discovery has challenged more than a century of understanding of magnetic structures and opened up a new field of research, with potentially significant implications for quantum materials, condensed-matter physics and future information technologies.
