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Register a new userRealizing Majorana zero modes in superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures
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Realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes in the laboratory is one of the major goals in condensed matter physics. We review the current status of this rapidly-developing field, focusing on semiconductor-superconductor proposals for topological superconductivity. Material science progress and robust signatures of Majorana zero modes in recent experiments are discussed. After a brief introduction to the subject, we outline several next-generation experiments probing exotic properties of Majorana zero modes, including fusion rules and non-Abelian exchange statistics. Finally, we discuss prospects for implementing Majorana-based topological quantum computation in these systems.
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We consider the one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductor that may form in a planar superconductor-metal-superconductor Josephson junction in which the metal is is subjected to spin orbit coupling and to an in-plane magnetic field. This 1D topological superconductor has been the subject of recent theoretical and experimental attention. We examine the effect of perpendicular magnetic field and a supercurrent driven across the junction on the position and structure of the Majorana zero modes that are associated with the topological superconductor. In particular, we show that under certain conditions the Josephson vortices fractionalize to half-vortices, each carrying half of the superconducting flux quantum and a single Majorana zero mode. Furthemore, we show that the system allows for a current-controlled braiding of Majorana zero modes.
Since the proposal of monopole Cooper pairing in Ref. [1], considerable research efforts have been dedicated to the study of Copper pair order parameters constrained (or obstructed) by the nontrivial normal-state band topology at Fermi surfaces. In the current work, we propose a new type of topologically obstructed Cooper pairing, which we call Euler obstructed Cooper pairing. The Euler obstructed Cooper pairing widely exists between two Fermi surfaces with nontrivial band topology characterized by nonzero Euler numbers; such Fermi surfaces can exist in the $PT$-protected spinless-Dirac/nodal-line semimetals with negligible spin-orbit coupling, where $PT$ is the space-time inversion symmetry. An Euler obstructed pairing channel must have pairing nodes on the pairing-relevant Fermi surfaces, and the total winding number of the pairing nodes is determined by the sum or difference of the Euler numbers on the Fermi surfaces. In particular, we find that when the normal state is nonmagnetic and the pairing is weak, a sufficiently-dominant Euler obstructed pairing channel with zero total momentum leads to nodal superconductivity. If the Fermi surface splitting is small, the resultant nodal superconductor hosts hinge Majorana zero modes, featuring the first class of higher-order nodal superconductivity originating from the topologically obstructed Cooper pairing. The possible dominance of the Euler obstructed pairing channel near the superconducting transition and the robustness of the hinge Majorana zero modes against disorder are explicitly demonstrated using effective or tight-binding models.
The Majorana zero mode (MZM), which manifests as an exotic neutral excitation in superconductors, is the building block of topological quantum computing. It has recently been found in the vortices of several iron-based superconductors as a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) in tunneling spectroscopy. In particular, a clean and robust MZM has been observed in the cores of free vortices in (Li0.84Fe0.16)OHFeSe. Here using scanning tunneling spectroscopy (STS), we demonstrate that Majorana-induced resonant Andreev reflection occurs between the STM tip and this zero-bias bound state, and consequently, the conductance at zero bias is quantized as 2e2/h. Our results present a hallmark signature of the MZM in the vortex of an intrinsic topological superconductor, together with its intriguing behavior.
The recent realization of pristine Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in vortices of iron-based superconductors (FeSCs) provides a promising platform for long-sought-after fault-tolerant quantum computation. A large topological gap between the MZMs and the lowest excitations enabled detailed characterization of vortex MZMs in those materials. Despite those achievements, a practical implementation of topological quantum computation based on MZM braiding remains elusive in this new Majorana platform. Among the most pressing issues are the lack of controllable tuning methods for vortex MZMs and inhomogeneity of the FeSC Majorana compounds that destroys MZMs during the braiding process. Thus, the realization of tunable vortex MZMs in a truly homogeneous compound of stoichiometric composition and with a charge neutral cleavage surface is highly desirable. Here we demonstrate experimentally that the stoichiometric superconductor LiFeAs is a good candidate to overcome these two obstacles. Using scanning tunneling microscopy, we discover that the MZMs, which are absent on the natural surface, can appear in vortices influenced by native impurities. Our detailed analysis and model calculations clarify the mechanism of emergence of MZMs in this material, paving a way towards MZMs tunable by controllable methods such as electrostatic gating. The tunability of MZMs in this homogeneous material offers an unprecedented platform to manipulate and braid MZMs, the essential ingredients for topological quantum computation.
We show that partially separated Andreev bound states (ps-ABSs), comprised of pairs of overlapping Majorana bound states (MBSs) emerging in quantum dot-semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures, produce robust zero bias conductance plateaus in end-of-wire charge tunneling experiments. These plateaus remain quantized at $2e^2/h$ over large ranges of experimental control parameters. In light of recent experiments reporting the observation of robust $2e^2/h$-quantized conductance plateaus in local charge tunneling experiments, we perform extensive numerical calculations to explicitly show that such quantized conductance plateaus, which are obtained by varying control parameters such as the tunnel barrier height, the super gate potential, and the applied magnetic field, can arise as a result of the existence of ps-ABSs. Because ps-ABSs can form rather generically in the topologically trivial regime, even in the absence of disorder, our results suggest that the observation of a robust quantized conductance plateau does not represent sufficient evidence to demonstrate the existence of non-Abelian topologically-protected Majorana zero modes localized at the opposite ends of a wire.
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