Impurity states in altermagnetic superconductors

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Hauptverfasser: Maiani, Andrea, Souto, Rubén Seoane
Format: Preprint
Veröffentlicht: 2024
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author Maiani, Andrea
Souto, Rubén Seoane
author_facet Maiani, Andrea
Souto, Rubén Seoane
contents Altermagnetic superconductors offer the possibility of exploring unconventional superconductivity, including topological states and finite-momentum superconductivity, with promising applications in spintronics and quantum information. However, a direct experimental confirmation of their existence remains elusive. In this work, we propose non-magnetic impurities as probes of the interplay between altermagnetism and superconductivity. These impurities induce spin-polarized subgap states whose spatial extension reflects the magnetic order of the substrate material. Depending on whether or not the impurity respects the bulk symmetries, these states form spin-degenerate or spin-split doublets. An external magnetic field aligned with the Néel vector can further control the doublet splitting. We further demonstrate that coupling between impurity states leads to a position-dependent, spin-sensitive hybridization, enabling another approach for \textit{in situ} control of atomic-size quantum devices. These findings provide unambiguous experimental signatures of altermagnetic superconductivity accessible via local measurements such as scanning tunneling microscopy and open unexplored pathways for designing tunable quantum devices.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_01008
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Impurity states in altermagnetic superconductors
Maiani, Andrea
Souto, Rubén Seoane
Superconductivity
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Altermagnetic superconductors offer the possibility of exploring unconventional superconductivity, including topological states and finite-momentum superconductivity, with promising applications in spintronics and quantum information. However, a direct experimental confirmation of their existence remains elusive. In this work, we propose non-magnetic impurities as probes of the interplay between altermagnetism and superconductivity. These impurities induce spin-polarized subgap states whose spatial extension reflects the magnetic order of the substrate material. Depending on whether or not the impurity respects the bulk symmetries, these states form spin-degenerate or spin-split doublets. An external magnetic field aligned with the Néel vector can further control the doublet splitting. We further demonstrate that coupling between impurity states leads to a position-dependent, spin-sensitive hybridization, enabling another approach for \textit{in situ} control of atomic-size quantum devices. These findings provide unambiguous experimental signatures of altermagnetic superconductivity accessible via local measurements such as scanning tunneling microscopy and open unexplored pathways for designing tunable quantum devices.
title Impurity states in altermagnetic superconductors
topic Superconductivity
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.01008