Altermagnetism-induced noncollinear superconducting diode effect and unidirectional superconducting transport

Abstract

Current studies of nonreciprocal superconducting (SC) transport have centered on the forward–backward asymmetry of the critical current measured along a single axis. In most realizations, this diode effect is achieved via introducing ferromagnetism or applying an external magnetic field, which drives the system into an effective Fulde–Ferrell (FF) state but often at the cost of severely suppressing the SC gap and thus compromising device robustness. Here we propose and theoretically demonstrate that coupling a conventional s-wave SC thin film to a d-wave altermagnet offers a more resilient alternative. The momentum-dependent spin splitting inherent to altermagnets induces a noncollinear SC-diode effect in the BCS state, with the critical-current anisotropy exhibiting a fourfold (C4) symmetry. Upon entering the FF state at large splitting, this anisotropy gradually evolves into a unidirectional (C1) pattern. Crucially, the FF pairing momentum locks to the discrete crystal axes, eliminating the rotational Goldstone mode and preserving a sizable SC gap without any abrupt or significant suppression. These combined features make the altermagnetic proximity an appealing platform to engineer symmetry-protected, energy-efficient, and programmable SC diodes for next-generation electronic devices.

Source-reported materials — not catalogue approval

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