• Accepted Paper

Symmetry-based transport criterion and robust design for RuO2-type altermagnets

Zhaoqing Li, Yi Liu, Yizheng Wu, and Zhe Yuan

Phys. Rev. Lett. - Accepted 30 October, 2026

DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/wmpz-2b5c

Abstract

Altermagnetism combines vanishing net magnetization with momentum-dependent spin splitting, enabling spin-transport functionalities without ferromagnetism. Although rutile RuO2 has been proposed as a d-wave altermagnet, its magnetic ground state remains highly controversial. Moreover, existing transport verifications suffer from severe ambiguity due to the entanglement of spin-splitting effects and time-reversal-even spin-Hall contributions. Here, we introduce a two-pronged strategy to break the current verification impasse. First, we establish a definitive, symmetry-based transport criterion: by identifying specific crystallographic geometries where the spin-Hall background is strictly forbidden, we provide a zero-background window for unambiguous altermagnetic detection. Concurrently, to bypass the uncertain bulk energetics, we propose the RuO2/MnO2 superlattice as a prototypical platform to robustly enforce the d-wave altermagnetic order via interfacial magnetic proximity. Within this platform, symmetry-resolved spin-transport analysis reveals unconventional responses, including collinear spin currents enabling field-free magnetization switching and sizable spin-polarized charge currents. By combining a universal transport criterion with a robustly engineered material platform, our work transcends the debates over bulk properties, providing an actionable, definitive experimental roadmap for verifying d-wave altermagnetism.

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