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Unconventional superconductivity on a topological insulator.
Jacob Linder1, Yukio Tanaka, Takehito Yokoyama
1Department of Physics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology, N-7491 Trondheim, Norway.
Physical Review Letters
|April 7, 2010
Summary
We explore superconductivity on topological insulator surfaces, finding Majorana fermions with d(xy)-wave pairing. A Zeeman field significantly impacts transport properties, offering a signature for Majorana state detection.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Phenomena
Background:
- Topological insulators (TIs) possess unique surface states with potential for novel quantum phenomena.
- Superconductivity induced by proximity offers a route to explore exotic electronic states.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate unconventional pairing mechanisms for proximity-induced superconductivity on TI surfaces.
- Determine the nature of surface states under different pairing symmetries and external fields.
- Identify experimental signatures for Majorana fermion detection.
Main Methods:
- Theoretical modeling of superconductivity on TI surfaces.
- Analysis of excitation spectra and surface state behavior.
- Study of the influence of Zeeman fields on transport properties.
Main Results:
- Spin-triplet pairing leads to a gapless excitation spectrum, suppressing bound states and Andreev reflection.
- Spin-singlet d(xy)-wave pairing on TI surfaces hosts Majorana fermions, distinct from high-T(c) cuprates.
- Zeeman field magnitude and direction critically affect surface state transport properties.
Conclusions:
- Proximity-induced superconductivity on TI surfaces offers a platform for realizing Majorana fermions.
- The presence of a Zeeman field provides a tunable knob to control and probe these exotic states.
- Conductance spectroscopy can experimentally verify the predicted Majorana states.
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