Work

Superconducting Proximity Effect and Majorana Fermions at the Surface of a Topological Insulator

Year: 2009

Type: article

Abstract: We study the proximity effect between an s-wave superconductor and the surface states of a strong topological insulator. The resulting two-dimensional state resembles a spinless px + ipy superconductor, but does not break time reversal symmetry. This state supports Majorana bound states at vortices. We show that linear junctions between superconductors mediated by the topological insulator form a nonchiral one-dimensional wire for Majorana fermions, and that circuits formed from these junctions provide a method for creating, manipulating, and fusing Majorana bound states.

Source: Topologica

DOI: 10.3731/topologica.2.013

Authors: L. Fu, C. L. Kane

Institution: University of Pennsylvania

Language: English

Topic: Topological Materials and Phenomena

Subfield: Condensed Matter Physics

Field: Physics and Astronomy

Domain: Physical Sciences

Open Access status: diamond

Funders: National Science Foundation, American Chemical Society Petroleum Research Fund

Award: Theory of Graphene and the Spin Hall Effect