Altermagnetic Superconducting Diode Effect in Mn$_{3}$Pt/Nb Heterostructures

Abstract

Compensated magnetic orders that can split the spin-degeneracy of electronic bands have become a very active field of research. As opposed to spin-orbit coupling, the splitting resulting from these "altermagnets" is not a small relativistic correction and, in contrast to ferromagnets, not accompanied by a net magnetization and large stray fields. In particular, the theoretical analysis of the interplay of altermagnetism and superconductivity has taken center stage, while experimental investigations of their coexistence remain in their infancy. We here study heterostructures consisting of Nb thins films interfaced with the $T_1$ and $T_2$ phases of Mn$_3$Pt. These non-collinear magnetic states can be thought of as descendants from the same altermagnetic order in the absence of spin-orbit coupling. We demonstrate the non-trivial impact on the superconducting state of Nb, which exhibits a zero-field superconducting diode effect, despite the compensated ($T_2$) and nearly-compensated ($T_1$) magnetic order; the diode efficiencies can reach large values (up to 50$\%$). The diode effect is found to be highly sensitive to the form of the magnetic order, illustrating its potential as a symmetry probe. The complex magnetic field and temperature dependence hint at a rich interplay of multiple contributing mechanisms. Our results define a new materials paradigm for dissipationless spintronics and magnetization-free diode functionality, while motivating further exploration of non-collinear altermagnetic superconductors.