Analysis reveals mixed singlet-triplet Cooper pairs in antiferromagnets, highlighting their spin texture implications.
Nonrelativistic spin splitting in unconventional antiferromagnets has garnered much attention for its promising spintronic applications and open fundamental questions. Here, we uncover a unique even-parity spin texture in chiral noncollinear antiferromagnets, exemplified using a kagome lattice. We consider two distinct types of electrons in the system: one with Schr\"odinger-like dispersion and the other exhibiting Dirac-like behavior. Remarkably, we show that, for both electron types, this spin texture induces an exotic coexistence of opposite-spin singlet and equal-spin triplet Cooper pairs with finite momentum when proximity coupled to conventional superconductors. The triplet pairing arises from the intrinsic spin rotation of the antiferromagnet and does not require net magnetization or spin-orbit coupling. Moreover, we identify a tunable phase difference between singlet and triplet pairings, controllable through junction orientation. This mixed pairing state can be experimentally probed via damped oscillations in order parameters and 0-π transitions in Josephson junctions. Additionally, we analyze the effect of out-of-plane spin canting, elucidating its role in generating spin-polarized supercurrents, and discuss Mn₃Ga and Mn₃Ge to test our predictions.
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Zhang et al. (2025) studied this question.
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