Symmetry-Based Transport Criterion and Robust Design for RuO$_2$-type Altermagnets

Abstract

Altermagnetism combines vanishing net magnetization with momentum-dependent spin splitting, enabling spin-transport functionalities without ferromagnetism. Although rutile RuO$_2$ has been proposed as a d-wave altermagnet, its magnetic ground state remains highly controversial. Moreover, existing transport verifications suffer from severe ambiguity due to the entanglement of spin-splitting effects and time-reversal-even spin-Hall contributions. Here, we introduce a two-pronged strategy to break the current verification impasse. First, we establish a definitive, symmetry-based transport criterion: by identifying specific crystallographic geometries where the spin-Hall background is strictly forbidden, we provide a zero-background window for unambiguous altermagnetic detection. Concurrently, to bypass the uncertain bulk energetics, we propose the RuO$_2$/MnO$_2$ superlattice as a prototypical platform to robustly enforce the d-wave altermagnetic order via interfacial magnetic proximity. Within this platform, symmetry-resolved spin-transport analysis reveals unconventional responses, including collinear spin currents enabling field-free magnetization switching and sizable spin-polarized charge currents. By combining a universal transport criterion with a robustly engineered material platform, our work transcends the debates over bulk properties, providing an actionable, definitive experimental roadmap for verifying d-wave altermagnetism.