Dislocation Majorana Bound States in Iron-based Superconductors

We show that lattice dislocations of topological iron-based superconductors such as FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$ will intrinsically trap non-Abelian Majorana quasiparticles, in the absence of any external magnetic field. Our theory is motivated by the recent experimental observations of normal-state topology and surface magnetism that coexist with superconductivity in FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$, the combination of which naturally evokes an emergent second-order topological superconductivity in a two-dimensional subsystem spanned by screw or edge dislocations. This exemplifies a new embedded higher-order topological phase in class D, where Majorana zero modes appear around the "corners" of a low-dimensional embedded subsystem, instead of those of the full crystal. A nested domain wall theory is developed to understand the origin of these defect Majorana zero modes. When the surface magnetism is absent, we further find that $s_{\pm}$ pairing symmetry itself is capable of inducing a different type of class-DIII embedded higher-order topology with defect-bound Majorana Kramers pairs. We also provide detailed discussions on the real-world material candidates for our proposals, including FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$, LiFeAs, $\beta$-PdBi$_2$, and heterostructures of bismuth, etc. Our work establishes lattice defects as a new venue to achieve high-temperature topological quantum information processing.Comment: 12 pages, 5 figure

Phase-fluctuation Induced Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking Normal State

Spontaneous time-reversal symmetry (TRS) breaking plays an important role in studying strongly correlated unconventional superconductors. When the superconducting gap functions with different pairing symmetries compete, an Ising ($Z_2$) type symmetry breaking occurs due to the locking of the relative phase $\Delta\theta_{12}$ via a second order Josephson coupling. The phase locking can take place even in the normal state in the phase fluctuation regime before the onset of superconductivity. If $\Delta\theta_{12}=\pm\frac{\pi}{2}$, then TRS is broken, otherwise, if $\Delta\theta_{12}=0$, or, $\pi$, rotational symmetry is broken leading to a nematic state. In both cases, the order parameters possess a 4-fermion structure beyond the scope of mean-field theory. We employ an effective two-component $XY$-model assisted by a renormalization group analysis to address this problem. In addition, a quartetting, or, charge-``4e", superconductivity can also occur above $T_c$. Monte-Carlo simulations are performed and the results are in a good agreement with the renormalization group analysis. Our results provide useful guidance for studying novel symmetry breakings in strongly correlated superconductors.Comment: 4+ pages, 3 figures. References are added. Supplementary Material is updated. Comments are welcom