We consider a biased Normal-Superconducting junction with various types of superconductivity. Depending on the class of superconductivity, a Majorana bound state may appear at the interface. We show that this has important consequences on the distribution of waiting times of electrons flowing out of such an interface. Therefore, the waiting time distribution is shown to be a clear fingerprint of Majorana bound state physics and may be considered as an experimental signature of its presence.
We show theoretically that in the generic finite chemical potential situation, the clean superconducting spin-orbit-coupled nanowire has two distinct nontopological regimes as a function of Zeeman splitting (below the topological quantum phase transition): one is characterized by finite-energy in-gap Andreev bound states, while the other has only extended bulk states. The Andreev bound state regime is characterized by strong features in the tunneling spectra creating a gap closure signature, but no gap reopening signature should be apparent above the topological quantum phase transition, in agreement with most recent experimental observations. The gap closure feature is actually the coming together of the Andreev bound states at high chemical potential rather than a simple trivial gap of extended bulk states closing at the transition. Our theoretical finding establishes the generic intrinsic Andreev bound states on the trivial side of the topological quantum phase transition as the main contributors to the tunneling conductance spectra, providing a generic interpretation of existing experiments in clean Majorana nanowires. Our work also explains why experimental tunnel conductance spectra generically have gap closing features below the topological quantum phase transition, but no gap opening features above it.
We study one-dimensional topological SN and SNS long junctions obtained by placing a topological insulating nanowire in the proximity of either one or two SC finite-size leads. Using the Majorana Polarization order parameter (MP) introduced in Phys. Rev. Lett. 108, 096802 (2012)(arxiv:1109.5697) we find that the extended Andreev bound states (ABS) of the normal part of the wire acquire a finite MP: for a finite-size SN junction the ABS spectrum exhibits a zero-energy extended state which carries a full Majorana fermion, while the ABS of long SNS junctions with phase difference $pi$ transform into two zero-energy states carrying two Majorana fermions with the same MP. Given their extended character inside the whole normal link, and not only close to an interface, these Majorana-Andreev states can be directly detected in tunneling spectroscopy experiments.
The energy spectrum and the eigenstates of a rectangular quantum dot containing soft potential walls in contact with a superconductor are calculated by solving the Bogoliubov-de Gennes (BdG) equation. We compare the quantum mechanical solutions with a semiclassical analysis using a Bohr--Sommerfeld (BS) quantization of periodic orbits. We propose a simple extension of the BS approximation which is well suited to describe Andreev billiards with parabolic potential walls. The underlying classical periodic electron-hole orbits are directly identified in terms of ``scar like features engraved in the quantum wavefunctions of Andreev states determined here for the first time.
We analyze the spatial and energy dependence of the local density of states in a SNS junction. We model our system as a one-dimensional tight-binding chain which we solve exactly by numerical diagonalization. We calculate the dependence of the Andreev bound states on position, phase difference, gate voltage, and coupling with the superconducting leads. Our results confirm the physics predicted by certain analytical approximations, but reveal a much richer set of phenomena beyond the grasp of these approximations, such as the metamorphosis of the discrete states of the normal link (the normal bound states) into Andreev bound states as the leads become superconducting.
We propose an approach for probing Majorana bound states (MBSs) in a nanowire via counting statistics of a nearby charge detector in the form of a single-electron transistor (SET). We consider the impacts on the counting statistics by both the local coupling between the detector and an adjacent MBS at one end of a nanowire and the nonlocal coupling to the MBS at the other end. We show that the Fano factor and the skewness of the SET current are minimized for a symmetric SET configuration in the absence of the MBSs or when coupled to a fermionic state. However, the minimum points of operation are shifted appreciably in the presence of the MBSs to asymmetric SET configurations with a higher tunnel rate at the drain than at the source. This feature persists even when varying the nonlocal coupling and the pairing energy between the two MBSs. We expect that these MBS-induced shifts can be measured experimentally with available technologies and can serve as important signatures of the MBSs.