In-gap states of vortices at the surface of a topological insulator

Abstract

By solving the Bogoliubov–de Gennes equations we study fermion bound states in the core of a vortex of a two-dimensional superconductor. The metallic surface states of a strong topological insulator become superconducting via proximity effect with an s-wave superconductor. The strong spin-orbit coupling locks the spin perpendicular to the momentum (Rashba interaction) giving rise to a zero-energy Majorana state. We investigate the case of a large first excitation energy of the order of the superconducting gap (Δ∞), i.e. for the Fermi level close to the apex of the Dirac cone. We obtain the local density of states (LDOS) for the bulk and the bound states. The particle-hole symmetry is broken in the LDOS for up-spin as a consequence of the spin-orbit coupling and the chirality of the vortex. On the other hand, the down-spin LDOS is particle-hole symmetric. The spin-polarization of the bound state peaks is studied in detail. We present a waterfall-like spectrum that shows that for a distance less than 3 times the coherence length ξ from the core, the bound states can be observed.