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Register a new userTuning topological superconductivity in helical Shiba chains by supercurrent
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Recent experimental investigations of arrays of magnetic atoms deposited on top of a superconductor have opened a new chapter in the search of topological superconductivity. We generalize the microscopic model derived by Pientka et al. [Phys. Rev. B textbf{88}, 155420 (2013)] to accommodate the effects of finite supercurrent in the host material. Previously it was discovered that helical chains with nonplanar textures are plagued by a gapless phase. We show that by employing supercurrent it is possible to tune the chain from the gapless phase to the topological gapped phase. It is also possible to tune the chain between the trivial and the topological gapped phase, the size of which may be dramatically increased due to supercurrent. For planar textures supercurrent mainly contributes to proliferation of the gapless phase. Our predictions, which can be probed in STM experiments, are encouraging for observation and manipulation of Majorana states.
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Recent experiments have provided evidence that one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductivity can be realized experimentally by placing transition metal atoms that form a ferromagnetic chain on a superconducting substrate. We address some properties of this type of systems by using a Slater-Koster tight-binding model. We predict that topological superconductivity is nearly universal when ferromagnetic transition metal chains form straight lines on superconducting substrates and that it is possible for more complex chain structures. The proximity induced superconducting gap is $sim Delta E_{so} / J$ where $Delta$ is the $s$-wave pair-potential on the chain, $E_{so}$ is the spin-orbit splitting energy induced in the normal chain state bands by hybridization with the superconducting substrate, and $J$ is the exchange-splitting of the ferromagnetic chain $d$-bands. Because of the topological character of the 1D superconducting state, Majorana end modes appear within the gaps of finite length chains. We find, in agreement with experiment, that when the chain and substrate orbitals are strongly hybridized, Majorana end modes are substantially reduced in amplitude when separated from the chain end by less than the coherence length defined by the $p$-wave superconducting gap. We conclude that Pb is a particularly favorable substrate material for ferromagnetic chain topological superconductivity because it provides both strong $s-$wave pairing and strong Rashba spin-orbit coupling, but that there is an opportunity to optimize properties by varying the atomic composition and structure of the chain. Finally, we note that in the absence of disorder a new chain magnetic symmetry, one that is also present in the crystalline topological insulators, can stabilize multiple Majorana modes at the end of a single chain.
Chains of magnetic adatoms on superconductors have been discussed as promising systems for realizing Majorana end states. Here, we show that dilute Yu-Shiba-Rusinov (YSR) chains are also a versatile platform for quantum magnetism and correlated electron dynamics, with widely adjustable spin values and couplings. Focusing on subgap excitations, we derive an extended $t-J$ model for dilute quantum YSR chains and use it to study the phase diagram as well as tunneling spectra. We explore the implications of quantum magnetism for the formation of a topological superconducting phase, contrasting it to existing models assuming classical spin textures.
Inspired by the recent experimental observation of topological superconductivity in ferromagnetic chains, we consider a dilute 2D lattice of magnetic atoms deposited on top of a superconducting surface with a Rashba spin-orbit coupling. We show that the studied system supports a generalization of $p_x+ip_y$ superconductivity and that its topological phase diagram contains Chern numbers higher than $xi/a$ $(gg1)$, where $xi$ is the superconducting coherence length and $a$ is the distance between the magnetic atoms. The signatures of nontrivial topology can be observed by STM spectroscopy in finite-size islands.
We study theoretically a chain of precessing classical magnetic impurities in an $s$-wave superconductor. Utilizing a rotating wave description, we derive an effective Hamiltonian that describes the emergent Shiba band. We find that this Hamiltonian shows non-trivial topological properties, and we obtain the corresponding topological phase diagrams both numerically and analytically. We show that changing the precession frequency offers a control over topological phase transitions and the emergence of Majorana bound states. We propose driving the magnetic impurities or magnetic texture into precession by means of spin-transfer torque in a spin-Hall setup, and manipulate it using spin superfluidity in the case of planar magnetic order.
The search for artificial topological superconductivity has been limited by the stringent conditions required for its emergence. As exemplified by the recent discoveries of various correlated electronic states in twisted van der Waals materials, moire patterns can act as a powerful knob to create artificial electronic structures. Here we demonstrate that a moire pattern between a van der Waals superconductor and a monolayer ferromagnet creates a periodic potential modulation that enables the realization of a topological superconducting state that would not be accessible in the absence of the moire. We show that the existence of a magnetic moire pattern gives rise to Yu-Shiba-Rusinov minibands and periodic modulation of the Majorana edge modes that we detect using low-temperature scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) and spectroscopy (STS). Our results put forward moire patterns as a powerful tool to overcome conventional constrains for topological superconductivity in van der Waals heterostructures. In a broader picture, periodic potential modulation provides a general way of controlling topological superconductivity towards the realisation of topological qubits in the future.
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