Spin-Polarized Josephson Supercurrent in Nodeless Altermagnets

Abstract

Long-range propagation of equal-spin triplet Cooper pairs typically occurs in ferromagnet/$s$-wave superconductor junctions, where net magnetization plays a crucial role. Here, we propose a fundamentally different scenario in which Josephson supercurrents mediated exclusively by spin-triplet pairings emerge in systems with \textit{zero} net magnetization. We identify collinear altermagnets, particularly a subclass termed nodeless altermagnets, as ideal platforms to realize this phenomenon. These materials host spin-split Fermi surfaces that do not intersect altermagnetic nodal lines and support maximal spin-valley polarization, yielding fully spin-polarized electronic states at each valley. Consequently, Josephson junctions based on nodeless altermagnets sustain supercurrents solely through spin-polarized triplet pairing correlations, simultaneously contributed by spin-up Cooper pairs from one valley and spin-down Cooper pairs from the other. Furthermore, controlling the relative local inversion-symmetry breaking at the two interfaces enables a robust 0--$\pi$ transition without fine tuning, while adjusting the junction orientation allows a crossover between pure triplet and mixed singlet-triplet states. Our work thus establishes nodeless altermagnets as a unique platform for altermagnetic superconductors with magnetization-free spin-polarized supercurrents.

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Cited by in corpus (2)

• Interplay between Superconductivity and Altermagnetism in Disordered Materials and Heterostructures
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