Finite-momentum superconductivity in two-dimensional altermagnets with a Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

We theoretically study the finite-momentum superconductivity in two-dimensional (2D) altermagnets with a Rashba-type spin-orbit coupling (RSOC). We show the phase diagrams obtained by solving the linearized gap equation. We consider two directions of the N\'{e}el vector of the 2D altermagnet: parallel to the $x$-$y$ plane (in-plane) and perpendicular to the $x$-$y$ plane (out-of-plane). For the in-plane N\'{e}el vector, we find two different finite-momentum $d_{x^2-y^2}$-wave superconducting states distinguished by a dominant pairing channel: the inter-band pairing or the intra-band pairing. Furthermore, it is shown that an asymmetric deformation of Fermi surfaces caused by spin-splitting effects due to the in-plane altermagnet and the RSOC stabilizes the finite-momentum superconductivity with a large band splitting. For the out-of-plane N\'{e}el vector, the finite-momentum superconductivity is found only in the inter-band pairing mechanism, which is in contrast to the in-plane case.