Related papers: A generic new platform for topological quantum com…
We prove an index theorem for the existence of Majorana zero modes in a semiconducting thin film with a sizable spin-orbit coupling when it is adjacent to an s-wave superconductor. The theorem, which is analogous to the Jackiw-Rebbi index…
We show that an ordinary semiconducting thin film with spin-orbit coupling can, under ap- propriate circumstances, be in a quantum topologically ordered state supporting exotic Majorana excitations which follow non-Abelian statistics. The…
Majorana Fermions, strange particles that are their own antiparticles, were predicted in 1937 and have been sought after ever since. In condensed matter they are predicted to exist as vortex core or edge excitations in certain exotic…
Superconducting heterostructures with spin-active materials have emerged as promising platforms for engineering topological superconductors featuring Majorana bound states at surfaces, edges and vortices. Here we present a method for…
The experimental realization of Majorana fermions presents an important problem due to their non-Abelian nature and potential exploitation for topological quantum computation. Very recently Sau et al. [arXiv:0907.2239] demonstrated that a…
The search for a Majorana Fermion has been an area of intense interest in condensed matter research of late. This elusive particle, predicted to exist in 1937, has been sought after for both fundamental and practical reasons. On the…
We present a time-reversal invariant s-wave superconductor supporting Majorana edge modes. The multi-band character of the model together with spin-orbit coupling are key to realizing such a topological superconductor. We characterize the…
We present a pedagogical review of topological superconductivity and its consequences in spin-orbit coupled semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures. We start by reviewing the historical origins of the notions of Dirac and Majorana…
The introduction of superconductivity to the Dirac surface states of a topological insulator leads to a topological superconductor, which may support topological quantum computing through Majorana zero modes. The development of a scalable…
There exists a variety of proposals to transform a conventional s-wave superconductor into a topological superconductor, supporting Majorana fermion mid-gap states. A necessary ingredient of these proposals is strong spin-orbit coupling.…
Topological quantum computation, featuring qubits built out of anyonic excitations known as Majorana zero modes (MZMs), have long presented an exciting pathway towards scalable quantum computation. Recently, the advent of altermagnetic…
After a recent series of rapid and exciting developments, the long search for the Majorana fermion - the elusive quantum entity at the border between particles and antiparticles - has produced the first positive experimental results, but is…
Topological superconductivity in quasi-one-dimensional systems is a novel phase of matter with possible implications for quantum computation. Despite years of effort, a definitive signature of this phase in experiments is still debated. A…
Topological superfluids are recently discovered quantum matters that host topologically protected gapless edge states known as Majorana fermions - exotic quantum particles that act as their own anti-particles and obey non-Abelian…
We propose a method to create two-dimensional topological superconductors with a heterostructure of ferromagnet (FM), topological insulator (TI) thin film and superconductor, in which the two surfaces of the TI thin film are treated as a…
In proximity to an s-wave superconductor, a one- or two-dimensional, electron- or hole-doped semiconductor with a sizable spin-orbit coupling and a Zeeman splitting can support a topological superconducting (TS) state. The semiconductor TS…
Topological insulator edges and spin-orbit-coupled quantum wires in proximity to s-wave super- conductors can be tuned through a topological quantum phase transition by a Zeeman field. Here we show that a supercurrent flowing in the s-wave…
Topological insulators are a new class of materials, that exhibit robust gapless surface states protected by time-reversal symmetry. The interplay between such symmetry-protected topological surface states and symmetry-broken states (e.g.…
We propose and investigate a new platform for the realization of Majorana zero modes in a thin-film heterostructure composed of an easy-plane ferromagnet and a superconductor with spin-orbit coupling. The system can support an energetically…
A Dirac-type matrix equation governs surface excitations in a topological insulator in contact with an s-wave superconductor. The order parameter can be homogenous or vortex valued. In the homogenous case a winding number can be defined…