Isolation of spin-valley locked nodal-line fermions in $d$-wave $\mathrm{AV_2X_2O}$ altermagnets

Abstract

Crystalline symmetries stabilize topological states with distinct electronic properties, while altermagnets exhibit momentum-dependent spin splitting without net magnetization. Here, we combine first-principles calculations with a minimal tight-binding model to realize $C$-paired spin-valley-locked nodal-line fermions in the $d$-wave altermagnet $\mathrm{AV_2X_2O}$ (A = Rb, Cs, or K; X = Te, Se, or S). The low-energy electronic structure hosts coexisting spin-degenerate and spin-polarized nodal lines around $C_{4z}$-paired valleys near the Fermi level. The spin-polarized nodal lines are protected by the out-of-plane mirror symmetry $\mathcal{M}_z$ and remain robust against spin-orbit coupling. The minimal model reveals their microscopic origin and establishes a general design principle for their isolation. Layer engineering and electronic correlations serve as material-specific knobs for realizing these isolated spin-valley-locked nodal lines near the Fermi level. Our results establish the $\mathrm{AV_2X_2O}$ family as a versatile platform for exploring topological spin-valley locking in $d$-wave altermagnets.