Xiaoyu Wei Qualifier

α-MnTe and certain magnetically intercalated transition metal dichalcogenides (TMDs)

have emerged as promising candidates for g-wave altermagnetism, highlighting the

interplay among magnetic order, crystal symmetry, and electronic structure. To

investigate these candidates, scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy

(STM/STS) can probe both occupied and unoccupied electronic states, while Fourier

analysis of spectroscopic maps can indirectly reveal momentum-space scattering

signatures relevant to altermagnetism. In this work, low-temperature STM/STS

measurements of α-MnTe reveal bias-dependent surface electronic contrast and

spatially varying spectroscopic features. In parallel, we report preliminary STM and

low-energy electron diffraction (LEED) measurements of Co1/3NbS2, revealing locally

ordered regions alongside substantial surface disorder. Building on these findings,

future work will focus on improving surface preparation of intercalated TMDs and

using molecular beam epitaxy (MBE) for controlled metal deposition followed by

annealing on parent TMDs, including 2H-NbSe2 and 2H-NbS2. Collectively, these

efforts aim to clarify how local defects, magnetic intercalation, and engineered

interfaces influence electronic structure and emergent quantum phenomena, including

altermagnetism, at the atomic scale.