Field-free platform for Majorana modes in superconductors

ORAL

Abstract

Superconducting materials exhibiting topological properties are emerging as an exciting platform to realize fundamentally new excitations from topological quantum states of matter. Finding a systematic and controllable path to generate nonabelian Majorana zero energy excitations has been the central task in this research direction. Here, we explore the possibility of a field-free platform by depositing magnetic impurities on the surface of candidate topological superconductors. We use scanning tunnelling microscopy to probe localised states induced at the Fe atoms on the atomic scale at sub Kelvin temperatures and find that each Fe adatom generates a striking zero-energy bound state inside the superconducting gap. Our findings point to magnetic adatoms evaporated on bulk superconductors with topological surface states as a new platform for exploring Majorana zero modes under field-free conditions.

*Work at Princeton was supported by the US DOE under Basic Energy Sciences programme (grant number DOE/BES DE-FG-02-05ER46200) and the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation (GBMF4547/ Hasan).

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Presenters

  • Songtian Sonia Zhang

    • Princeton University
    • Physics, Princeton University

Authors

  • Songtian Sonia Zhang

    • Princeton University
    • Physics, Princeton University

  • Jiaxin Yin

    • Laboratory for Topological Quantum Matter and Spectroscopy, Department of Physics, Princeton University
    • Princeton University
    • Physics, Princeton University

  • Guangyang Dai

    • Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Kun Jiang

    • Boston College
    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • Physics, Boston College
    • Department of Physics, Boston College

  • Tay-Rong Chang

    • National Cheng Kung University
    • Physics, National Cheng Kung University
    • Department of Physics, National Cheng Kung University
    • National Cheng Kung University, Taiwan

  • Lingxiao Zhao

    • Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Hsin Lin

    • Academia Sinica
    • Physics, Academia Sinica
    • Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica, Taipei, Taiwan
    • Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica

  • Guoqing Chang

    • Laboratory for Topological Quantum Matter and Spectroscopy, Department of Physics, Princeton University
    • Princeton University

  • Genfu Chen

    • Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • Institute of Physics and Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Raman Sankar

    • Institute of Physics, Academia Sinica
    • National Taiwan University
    • Academia Sinica

  • Changqing Jin

    • Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • EX5, Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
    • Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

  • Ziqiang Wang

    • Boston College
    • Department of Physics, Boston College
    • Physics, Boston College

  • Zahid Hasan

    • Laboratory for Topological Quantum Matter and Spectroscopy, Department of Physics, Princeton University
    • Princeton University
    • Physics, Princeton University