Spin-polarized Josephson current induced by inhomogeneous altermagnetic interlayers

TL;DR

This paper proposes a tunable, field-free Josephson junction with an inhomogeneous altermagnetic interlayer that enhances critical current and enables spin-polarized supercurrents, advancing superconducting spintronics.

Contribution

It introduces a novel inhomogeneous altermagnetic interlayer design that controls spin-polarized Josephson currents without external fields, highlighting new mechanisms for dissipationless spin transport.

Findings

Critical current is maximized at a $$ misorientation angle due to cancellation of pair-breaking effects.

Non-collinear Ne9el vector alignment induces a net spin-polarized Josephson current.

The system exhibits a highly tunable response, eliminating $0$-$$ transitions.

Abstract

The pursuit of dissipationless spin supercurrents is a central theme in superconducting spintronics. We propose a field-free Josephson junction using an inhomogeneous altermagnetic interlayer with in-plane N\'{e}el vectors. We show that the current-phase relation and the critical Josephson current are highly sensitive to the misorientation angle between the altermagnetic layers' N\'{e}el vectors. Specifically, at a $\pi$ misorientation with equal layer thicknesses the spatial oscillations of the superconducting pair amplitude, governed by the center-of-mass momentum, undergo mutual cancellation. This compensation suppresses individual layer pair-breaking, significantly enhancing the critical current and eliminating $0$-$\pi$ transitions. Furthermore, the non-collinear alignment of the N\'{e}el vectors facilitates the emergence of a net spin-polarized Josephson current. This spin current serves as a distinct signature of spin-triplet pair correlations, generated by the spin-dependent momentum shifts inherent to the altermagnetic exchange field. Our results establish a highly tunable, field-free platform for the realization of dissipationless spintronic devices.