Conditions for orbital-selective altermagnetism in : Tight-binding model, similarities with cuprates, and implications for superconductivity
Phys. Rev. B 112, 014412 – Published 8 July, 2025
DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/ssxp-gz9l
Abstract
The vibrational modes in easily induce octahedral rotations without tilting. Being on the verge of a magnetic instability, such propensity of octahedral rotation may also produce magnetic fluctuations. In this work, we analyze the long-range magnetic phase diagram incorporating such octahedral rotations and demonstrate the possibility of an altermagnetic phase in . Using ab initio calculations, we first study single-layer with octahedral rotations, obtaining an orbital-selective -wave altermagnetic phase. We further provide an effective tight-binding model, demonstrating that the -wave altermagnetism is primarily a product of second- and third-nearest-neighbor interorbital hybridizations between the () orbitals, but only a much longer range intraorbital hybridization in the orbitals, establishing a strong orbital selectiveness for the altermagnetism. Notably, by replacing the orbital with the orbital, a similar tight-binding model may be used to investigate the hole-doped cuprate superconductors. We then study bulk , where we find the altermagnetic phase as the magnetic ground state for a range of finite octahedral rotations. In the bulk, interlayer hopping breaks some of the symmetries of the -wave altermagnet, resulting in a -wave altermagnet, still with orbital selectiveness. We also include relativistic effects through spin-orbit coupling and obtain that an effective staggered Dzyaloshinskii-Moriya interaction generates weak ferromagnetism. Finally, we discuss the implications of the altermagnetic order on the intrinsic superconductivity of . Assuming in-plane intraorbital pairing, the altermagnetism favors spin-singlet -wave or -wave pairing, or their combinations.