Ultrathin Bismuth Film on High-Temperature Cuprate Superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ as a Candidate of a Topological Superconductor.

Abstract

One of the key challenges in condensed-matter physics is to establish a topological superconductor that hosts exotic Majorana fermions. Although various heterostructures consisting of conventional BCS (Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer) superconductors as well as doped topological insulators were intensively investigated, no conclusive evidence for Majorana fermions has been provided. This is mainly because of their very low superconducting transition temperatures ( Tc) and small superconducting-gap magnitude. Here, we report a possible realization of topological superconductivity at very high temperatures in a hybrid of Bi(110) ultrathin film and copper oxide superconductor Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+δ (Bi2212). Using angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy and scanning tunneling microscopy, we found that three-bilayer-thick Bi(110) on Bi2212 exhibits a proximity-effect-induced s-wave energy gap as large as 7.5 meV which persists up to Tc of Bi2212 (85 K). The small Fermi energy and strong spin-orbit coupling of Bi(110), together with the large pairing gap and high Tc, make this system a prime candidate for exploring stable Majorana fermions at very high temperatures.