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Rare-Earth Atoms on Nb(110) as a Platform to Engineer Topological Superconductivity
David Antognini Silva1,2, Yu Wang3, Nicolae Atodiresei1
1Peter Grünberg Institut, Forschungszentrum Jülich and JARA, 52425 Jülich, Germany.
Nano Letters
|January 29, 2026
Summary
Gadolinium adatoms on niobium surfaces create magnetic spin textures. These textures are key for developing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes without spin-orbit coupling.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Materials Science
- Quantum Computing
Background:
- Topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes are crucial for fault-tolerant quantum computing.
- Achieving these states often requires intrinsic spin-orbit coupling, limiting material choices.
- One-dimensional magnetic chains on superconductors offer an alternative route.
Purpose of the Study:
- Investigate the magnetic interactions of gadolinium (Gd) adatoms on a Nb(110) surface.
- Analyze the formation of Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states in single Gd atoms and dimers.
- Predict the spin textures and ground states for potential topological superconductivity.
Main Methods:
- Scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy (STM/STS) for atomic-scale analysis.
- Density functional theory (DFT) for understanding electronic and magnetic properties.
- Spin-dynamics simulations for predicting magnetic configurations.
Main Results:
- Gd adatoms on Nb(110) exhibit large magnetic moments and establish indirect exchange interactions.
- Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states emerge due to these interactions, observable in single atoms and dimers.
- Stable chiral Néel-type spin-spiral configurations are predicted in Gd chains.
Conclusions:
- Rare-earth magnets like Gd provide a tunable platform for creating spin-spiral ground states.
- This work demonstrates a pathway to topological superconductivity independent of intrinsic spin-orbit coupling.
- The findings pave the way for novel superconducting materials hosting Majorana modes.
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