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Spin-Orbit Interaction and Induced Superconductivity in a One-Dimensional Hole Gas
Folkert K de Vries1, Jie Shen1, Rafal J Skolasinski1
1QuTech and Kavli Institute of Nanoscience , Delft University of Technology , 2600 GA Delft , The Netherlands.
Nano Letters
|September 8, 2018
Summary
Germanium-silicon nanowires show promise for topological superconductors due to their one-dimensional nature and strong spin-orbit interaction. Researchers confirmed a hard superconducting gap, crucial for protecting Majorana bound states.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Computing
Background:
- Topological superconductors are sought for hosting Majorana bound states.
- Strong spin-orbit interaction (SOI) and a hard superconducting gap are essential for topological protection.
- Low-dimensional semiconducting structures are prime candidates for realizing these exotic states.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate one-dimensional hole gas in germanium-silicon (Ge-Si) core-shell nanowires (NWs) as a novel material for topological superconductors.
- To explore the role of spin-orbit interaction and superconducting properties in these NWs.
- To assess the potential of Ge-Si NWs for hosting Majorana bound states.
Main Methods:
- Fabrication and characterization of Ge-Si core-shell nanowires.
- Fitting multiple Andreev reflection measurements to determine dimensionality.
- Anisotropy measurements of the Landé g-factor.
- Band structure calculations.
- Tunneling spectroscopy utilizing Kondo peak analysis.
Main Results:
- Confirmed the one-dimensionality of the NWs with only two transport channels.
- Provided evidence for direct Rashba SOI and strong orbital magnetic field effects through g-factor anisotropy and band structure calculations.
- Observed a hard superconducting gap in both tunneling and open regimes.
- Utilized the Kondo peak as a novel method to assess superconducting gap quality.
Conclusions:
- Ge-Si core-shell nanowires are a promising material platform for realizing topological superconductivity.
- The observed properties, including strong SOI and a hard superconducting gap, support their potential for hosting Majorana bound states.
- The Kondo peak offers a new effective tool for evaluating the quality of superconducting gaps in such systems.
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