English

4$\pi$ and 8$\pi$ dual Josephson effects induced by symmetry defects

Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics 2019-04-03 v1

Abstract

In topological insulator edges, the duality between the Zeeman field orientation and the proximitized superconducting phase has been recently exploited to predict a magneto-Josephson effect with a 4π\pi periodicity. We revisit this latter Josephson effect in the light of this duality and show that the same 4π\pi quantum anomaly occurs when bridging two spinless Thouless pumps to a p-wave superconducting region that could be as small as a single and experimentally-relevant superconducting quantum dot - a point-like defect. This interpretation as a dual Josephson effect never requires the presence of Majorana modes but rather builds on the topological properties of adiabatic quantum pumps with Z topological invariants. It allows for the systematic construction of dual Josephson effects of arbitrary periodicity, such as 4π\pi and 8π\pi, by using point-like defects whose symmetry differs from that of the pump, dubbed symmetry defects. Although adiabatic quantum pumps are typically discussed via mappings to two-dimensional geometries, we show that this phenomenology does not have any counterpart in conventional two-dimensional systems.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1901.03342,
  title  = {4$\pi$ and 8$\pi$ dual Josephson effects induced by symmetry defects},
  author = {Corneliu Malciu and Leonardo Mazza and Christophe Mora},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1901.03342},
  year   = {2019}
}