4 research outputs found
Non-Abelian toplogical superconductors from topological semimetals and related systems under superconducting proximity effect
Non-Abelian toplogical superconductors are characterized by the existence of
{zero-energy} Majorana fermions bound in the quantized vortices. This is a
consequence of the nontrivial bulk topology characterized by an {\em odd} Chern
number. It is found that in topological semimetals with a single two-bands
crossing point all the gapped superconductors are non-Abelian ones. Such a
property is generalized to related but more generic systems which will be
useful in the search of non-Abelian superconductors and Majorana fermions
Introduction to topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions
This short review article provides a pedagogical introduction to the rapidly
growing research field of Majorana fermions in topological superconductors. We
first discuss in some details the simplest "toy model" in which Majoranas
appear, namely a one-dimensional tight-binding representation of a p-wave
superconductor, introduced more than ten years ago by Kitaev. We then give a
general introduction to the remarkable properties of Majorana fermions in
condensed matter systems, such as their intrinsically non-local nature and
exotic exchange statistics, and explain why these quasiparticles are suspected
to be especially well suited for low-decoherence quantum information
processing. We also discuss the experimentally promising (and perhaps already
successfully realized) possibility of creating topological superconductors
using semiconductors with strong spin-orbit coupling, proximity-coupled to
standard s-wave superconductors and exposed to a magnetic field. The goal is to
provide an introduction to the subject for experimentalists or theorists who
are new to the field, focusing on the aspects which are most important for
understanding the basic physics. The text should be accessible for readers with
a basic understanding of quantum mechanics and second quantization, and does
not require knowledge of quantum field theory or topological states of matter.Comment: 21 pages, 5 figure
Evidence of Majorana fermions in an Al - InAs nanowire topological superconductor
Majorana fermions are the only fermionic particles that are expected to be
their own antiparticles. While elementary particles of the Majorana type were
not identified yet, quasi-particles with Majorana like properties, born from
interacting electrons in the solid, were predicted to exist. Here, we present
thorough experimental studies, backed by numerical simulations, of a system
composed of an aluminum superconductor in proximity to an indium arsenide
nanowire, with the latter possessing strong spin-orbit coupling. An induced 1d
topological superconductor - supporting Majorana fermions at both ends - is
expected to form. We concentrate on the characteristics of a distinct zero bias
conductance peak (ZBP), and its splitting in energy, both appearing only with a
small magnetic field applied along the wire. The ZBP was found to be robustly
tied to the Fermi energy over a wide range of system parameters. While not
providing a definite proof of a Majorana state, the presented data and the
simulations support strongly its existence