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arXiv · 2606.09797

Proximity-induced orbital antiferromagnetism in Ising superconductors

Abstract

We predict a fundamentally new superconducting state in superconductor/antiferromagnet heterostructures with Ising spin--orbit coupling: proximity-induced orbital antiferromagnetism. In this state, the order parameter acquires a periodic phase modulation locked to the magnetic lattice, generating atomic-scale loop currents with opposite orbital moments on neighboring unit cells. Its emergence requires at least three nonequivalent magnetic sublattices per unit cell and finite spin--orbit coupling. Using NbSe$_2$/MnPS$_3$ as a concrete example, we combine first-principles and Bogoliubov--de Gennes calculations to demonstrate that the proximity-induced exchange field leads to robust phase modulation. Unlike FFLO and helical states, the phase gradient is atomic-scale, the state is current-carrying, and it remains uniquely stable over the full parameter range. The state manifests as characteristic finite-energy dips in the local density of states, accessible by STM.

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G. A. Bobkov, V. A. Bobkov, T. Karabassov, I. V. Bobkova, A. A. Golubov. 2026-06-08. Proximity-induced orbital antiferromagnetism in Ising superconductors. https://arxiv.org/abs/2606.09797

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