Pairing symmetry and vortex zero mode for superconducting Dirac fermions

Abstract

We study vortex zero-energy bound states in presence of pairing between low-energy Dirac fermions on the surface of a topological insulator. The pairing symmetries considered include the $s$-wave, $p$-wave, and, in particular, the mixed-parity symmetry, which arises in absence of the inversion symmetry on the surface. The zero mode is analyzed within the generalized Jackiw-Rossi-Dirac Hamiltonian that contains a momentum-dependent mass term, and includes the effects of the electromagnetic gauge field and the Zeeman coupling as well. At a finite chemical potential, as long as the spectrum without the vortex is fully gapped, the presence of a single Fermi surface with a definite helicity always leads to one Majorana zero mode, in which both electron's spin projections participate. In particular, the critical effects of the Zeeman coupling on the zero mode are discussed.