• Accepted Paper

Spin-polarized Josephson current induced by inhomogeneous altermagnetic interlayers

Wenjun Zhao, Yuri Fukaya, Pablo Burset, Jorge Cayao, Yukio Tanaka, and Bo Lu

Phys. Rev. B - Accepted 2 November, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wzx9-58gr

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 Neel vectors. We show that the current-phase relation and the critical Josephson current are highly sensitive to the misorientation angle between the altermagnetic layers Neel 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 Neel 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.

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