Spin-Polarized Josephson Supercurrent in Nodeless Altermagnets

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--$π$ 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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Publication Details

Journal
Physical Review Letters
Published
2026-02-19
DOI
https://doi.org/10.1103/ds5z-fxy5
Primary Topic
Iron-based superconductors research
Type
article
Field-Weighted Citation Impact
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article

Spin-Polarized Josephson Supercurrent in Nodeless Altermagnets

Jincai Hou, Lun‐Hui Hu, Chuang Li, Fu‐Chun Zhang et al.
Physical Review Letters
Iron-based superconductors research
article

Spin-Polarized Josephson Supercurrent in Nodeless Altermagnets

Jincai Hou, Lun‐Hui Hu, Chuang Li, Fu‐Chun Zhang, Songbo Zhang
article en

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--$π$ 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.

Physical Review LettersVol. 136(11)
University of Science and Technology of China (CN), Hefei University (CN), University of Chinese Academy of Sciences (CN), Zhejiang University (CN)
Openalex Percentile: Top 100%
Iron-based superconductors research
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Spin-Polarized Josephson Supercurrent in Nodeless Altermagnets — Jincai Hou, Lun‐Hui Hu, et al. · Physical Review Letters (2026) | TGRS Research Map | TGRS