Tip-induced or enhanced superconductivity: a way to detect topological superconductivity

Area of Science:

• Condensed Matter Physics
• Materials Science
• Quantum Computing

Background:

• Topological materials possess unique electronic band structures with potential for exotic excitations like Majorana fermions.
• Majorana fermions are crucial for developing topological quantum computers, making their detection a high priority.
• Detecting topological superconductivity is a frontier research area in condensed matter physics.

Purpose of the Study:

• To review methods for detecting topological superconductivity.
• To highlight tip-induced superconductivity (TISC) and tip-enhanced superconductivity (TESC) as key techniques.
• To discuss experimental achievements and potential mechanisms for inducing and enhancing topological superconductivity.

Main Methods:

• Review of experimental techniques for detecting topological superconductivity.
• Focus on hard point contact methods: tip-induced superconductivity (TISC) and tip-enhanced superconductivity (TESC).
• Elaboration on TISC in topological Dirac semimetal Cd3As2 and Weyl semimetal TaAs.

Main Results:

• TISC demonstrated in non-superconducting topological semimetals (Cd3As2, TaAs).
• TESC observed in potential topological superconductors (Au2Pb, Sr2RuO4).
• Experimental findings provide insights into inducing and enhancing topological superconductivity.

Conclusions:

• TISC and TESC are effective methods for detecting topological superconductivity.
• These techniques advance the search for Majorana fermions and topological quantum computing.
• Further research into mechanisms can improve understanding and application of topological superconductivity.