Phase-modulated superconductivity via altermagnetism

Abstract: Stimulated by recent interest in altermagnets, a novel class of antiferromagnets with macroscopic time-reversal symmetry breaking, we investigate the coexistence of altermagnetism and superconductivity. By developing a Ginzburg--Landau theory based on microscopic models, we show that a phase-modulated Fulde--Ferrell superconducting state is stabilized via altermagnetic spin splitting, in contrast to the typical amplitude-modulated states that occur under a uniform Zeeman field. We apply our framework to different models: a two-sublattice model with altermagnetic order, a continuum model with an anisotropic Zeeman field mimicking altermagnetic spin splitting, and a conventional square-lattice model with two kinds of anisotropic Zeeman fields. Our results indicate that the multi-sublattice structure is crucial for realizing this exotic superconductivity, and highlight spin-split altermagnets as a promising platform for exploring phase-modulated superconductivity without external magnetic fields.