English

Abelian and non-abelian anyons in integer quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological phase transitions via superconducting proximity effect

Strongly Correlated Electrons 2015-03-17 v4 Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics High Energy Physics - Theory

Abstract

We study the quantum anomalous Hall effect described by a class of two-component Haldane models on square lattices. We show that the latter can be transformed into a pseudospin triplet p+ip-wave paired superfluid. In the long wave length limit, the ground state wave function is described by Halperin's (1,1,-1) state of neutral fermions analogous to the double layer quantum Hall effect. The vortex excitations are charge e/2 abelian anyons which carry a neutral Dirac fermion zero mode. The superconducting proximity effect induces `tunneling' between `layers' which leads to topological phase transitions whereby the Dirac fermion zero mode fractionalizes and Majorana fermions emerge in the edge states. The charge e/2 vortex excitation carrying a Majorana zero mode is a non-abelian anyon. The proximity effect can also drive a conventional insulator into a quantum anomalous Hall effect state with a Majorana edge mode and the non-abelian vortex excitations.

Keywords

Cite

@article{arxiv.1011.3885,
  title  = {Abelian and non-abelian anyons in integer quantum anomalous Hall effect and topological phase transitions via superconducting proximity effect},
  author = {Xuele Liu and Ziqiang Wang and X. C. Xie and Yue Yu},
  journal= {arXiv preprint arXiv:1011.3885},
  year   = {2015}
}

Comments

6 pages, 4 figures, accepted by Phys. Rev. B