Finite temperature pair density wave superconductivity in $d$-wave altermagnets

TL;DR

This paper shows that altermagnetism can stabilize finite-momentum d-wave superconductivity at finite temperatures without external magnetic fields, revealing a new route for robust superconducting states.

Contribution

It introduces a non-perturbative Monte Carlo approach to demonstrate a stable pair-density-wave phase in d-wave altermagnets caused by momentum-dependent spin splitting.

Findings

A robust PDW phase persists over a finite temperature range.

Distinct thermal scales are identified for phase coherence, gap closing, and pseudogap.

Experimental signatures of the PDW state are characterized.

Abstract

We demonstrate that altermagnetism provides a field-free mechanism for stabilizing finite-momentum superconductivity in two dimensions. Using a non-perturbative static path approximation Monte Carlo approach, we show that a d-wave altermagnet supports a robust pair-density-wave (PDW) phase that persists over a finite temperature window despite strong thermal fluctuations. The underlying mechanism originates from momentum-dependent spin splitting, which effectively enhances pairing instabilities at finite center-of-mass momentum without Zeeman fields. We identify distinct thermal scales associated with phase coherence, gap closing, and pseudogap formation, and establish characteristic spectroscopic and real-space signatures of the PDW state. Our results reveal altermagnetism as a robust route to thermally stable finite-momentum superconductivity and provide experimentally testable signatures for altermagnetic materials.