Majorana Edge States Research Articles

Topological superconductivity in a two-dimensional Weyl SSH model

We study the emergence of topological superconductivity in a two-dimensional Weyl system, composed of stacked Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) chains. A previous analysis of the model showed that the addition of an attractive Hubbard interaction between spinful electrons leads to a superconducting state that has an intricate pairing structure, but is topologically trivial. Here we consider a pairing interaction that couples spinless fermions on opposite sublattices within the same unit cell. We observe that this physically motivated, momentum-independent pairing interaction induces a topological superconducting state, characterized by a gap function with a nontrivial phase, as well as Majorana and Fermi arc edge states along the edge perpendicular to the direction of the SSH dimerization. In addition, we observe a transition as a function of pairing interaction strength and chemical potential, indicated by a change in the sign of the topological charge carried by each of the four Bogoliubov-Weyl nodes.

Directly probing the chirality of Majorana edge states

We propose to directly probe the chirality of Majorana edge states in 2D topological superconductors using polarization selective photon absorption. When shining circularly polarized light on a 2D topological superconductor in disk geometry, the photons can excite quasiparticles only when the polarization of the light matches the chirality of the Majorana edge states required by the angular momentum conservation. Hence, one can obtain the chirality of the Majorana edge states by measuring the photon absorption rate. We show that the polarization selective photon absorption can also serve as smoking gun evidence of the chiral Majorana edge mode.

Pattern-dependent proximity effect and Majorana edge mode in one-dimensional quasicrystals

The Majorana edge states of the Kitaev chain model have attracted extensive attention on their stability and experimental realization. One of the interesting aspects is finding the exotic proximity effect, which guarantees the presence of the Majorana modes, further enables efficient braidings between them. In this paper, we explore the superconducting proximity effect for quasiperiodic quantum wires and discuss how quasiperiodic patterns affect the stability of the Majorana modes. Considering the Kitaev chain model of the one-dimensional quasiperiodic system, we discuss the pattern-dependent proximity effects. First, we argue that the presence of quasiperiodic hoppings energetically induces the $p$-wave pairing also to be quasiperiodic rather than uniform pairing. More interestingly, when the normal metallic wire is adjacent to the quasiperiodic superconducting wire, we have found that the Majorana edge modes are transferred to the edge of the normal metallic side with enhanced stability. Finally, we discover the proximity effect on the strengths of the quasiperiodicities with a general power-law relationship, whose power depends on the tiling pattern. Our results show how quasiperiodic patterns play a crucial role in the Kitaev chain and the stabilization of the Majorana mode.

Majorana edge and corner states in square and kagome quantum spin- 32 liquids

Quantum spin liquids hosting Majorana excitations have recently experienced renewed interest for potential applications to topological quantum computation. Performing logical operations with reduced poisoning requires to localize such quasiparticles at specific point of the system, with energies that are well defined and inside the bulk energy gap. These are two defining features of second order topological insulators (SOTIs). Here, we show two spin models that support quantum spin liquid phases characterised by Majorana excitations and that behave as SOTIs, one of which is analytically solvable thanks to a theorem by Lieb. We show that, depending on the values of spin couplings, it is possible to localize either fermions or Majorana particles at their corners.

Enabling novel dispersion and topological characteristics in mechanical lattices via stable negative inertial coupling

Mechanical topological insulators have enabled a myriad of unprecedented characteristics that are otherwise not conceivable in traditional periodic structures. While rich in dynamics, new developments in the domain of mechanical topological systems are hindered by their inherent inability to exhibit negative elastic or inertial couplings owing to the inevitable loss of dynamical stability. The aim of this paper is, therefore, to remedy this challenge by introducing a class of architected inertial metamaterials (AIMs) as a platform for designing mechanical lattices with novel topological and dispersion traits. We show that carefully coupling elastically supported masses via moment-free rigid linkages invokes a dynamically stable negative inertial coupling, which is essential for topological classes in need of such negative interconnection. The potential of the proposed AIMs is demonstrated via three examples: (i) a mechanical analogue of Majorana edge states, (ii) a square diatomic AIM that can sustain the quantum valley Hall effect (classically arising in hexagonal lattices), and (iii) a square tetratomic AIM with topological corner modes. We envision that the presented framework will pave the way for a plethora of robust topological mechanical systems.

Optical Responses of Chiral Majorana Edge States in Two-Dimensional Topological Superconductors.

Majorana fermions exist on the boundaries of two-dimensional topological superconductors (TSCs) as charge-neutral quasiparticles. The neutrality makes the detection of such states challenging from both experimental and theoretical points of view. Current methods largely rely on transport measurements in which Majorana fermions manifest themselves by inducing electron-pair tunneling at the lead-contacting point. Here we show that chiral Majorana fermions in TSCs generate enhanced local optical response. The features of local optical conductivity distinguish them not only from trivial superconductors or insulators but also from normal fermion edge states such as those in quantum Hall systems. Our results provide a new applicable method to detect dispersive Majorana fermions and may lead to a novel direction of this research field.

Interaction-induced topological phase transition and Majorana edge states in low-dimensional orbital-selective Mott insulators

Topological phases of matter are among the most intriguing research directions in Condensed Matter Physics. It is known that superconductivity induced on a topological insulator’s surface can lead to exotic Majorana modes, the main ingredient of many proposed quantum computation schemes. In this context, the iron-based high critical temperature superconductors are a promising platform to host such an exotic phenomenon in real condensed-matter compounds. The Coulomb interaction is commonly believed to be vital for the magnetic and superconducting properties of these systems. This work bridges these two perspectives and shows that the Coulomb interaction can also drive a canonical superconductor with orbital degrees of freedom into the topological state. Namely, we show that above a critical value of the Hubbard interaction the system simultaneously develops spiral spin order, a highly unusual triplet amplitude in superconductivity, and, remarkably, Majorana fermions at the edges of the system.

Crossdimensional universality classes in static and periodically driven Kitaev models

The Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice is a paradigmatic system known to host a wealth of nontrivial topological phases and Majorana edge modes. In the static case, the Majorana edge modes are nondispersive. When the system is periodically driven in time, such edge modes can disperse and become chiral. We obtain the full phase diagram of the driven model as a function of the coupling and the driving period. We characterize the quantum criticality of the different topological phase transitions in both the static and driven model via the notions of Majorana-Wannier state correlation functions and momentum-dependent fidelity susceptibilities. We show that the system hosts crossdimensional universality classes: although the static Kitaev model is defined on a two-dimensional (2D) honeycomb lattice, its criticality falls into the universality class of one-dimensional (1D) linear Dirac models. For the periodically driven Kitaev model, in addition to the universality class of prototype 2D linear Dirac models, an additional 1D nodal loop type of criticality exists owing to emergent time-reversal and mirror symmetries, indicating the possibility of engineering multiple universality classes by periodic driving. The manipulation of time-reversal symmetry allows the periodic driving to control the chirality of the Majorana edge states.

Time-Domain Anyon Interferometry in Kitaev Honeycomb Spin Liquids and Beyond

Motivated by recent experiments on the Kitaev honeycomb magnet α-RuCl_{3}, we introduce time-domain probes of the edge and quasiparticle content of non-Abelian spin liquids. Our scheme exploits ancillary quantum spins that communicate via time-dependent tunneling of energy into and out of the spin liquid's chiral Majorana edge state. We show that the ancillary-spin dynamics reveals the edge-state velocity and, in suitable geometries, detects individual non-Abelian anyons and emergent fermions via a time-domain counterpart of quantum-Hall anyon interferometry. We anticipate applications to a wide variety of topological phases in solid-state and cold-atoms settings.

Half-integer quantized charge pumping induced by a Majorana fermion

We investigate the adiabatic topological charge pumping in a topological superconductor utilizing a quantum anomalous Hall insulator proximity coupled to an $s$-wave superconductor. We show that topological pumping is characterized by the appearance of protected Majorana edge states during the course of a pumping cycle. In a topological superconductor with a single Majorana edge state, the Majorana state will be pushed into the electrode in a cycle. This leads to a half-integer quantized pumped charge, because a Majorana fermion can be viewed as half of a fermion. The half-integer quantized charge pumping would serve as a fingerprint of a Majorana fermion.

Topological band and superconductivity in UTe2

$\mathrm{U}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ is a likely spin-triplet superconductor that also exhibits evidence for chiral Majorana edge states. A characteristic structural feature of $\mathrm{U}{\mathrm{Te}}_{2}$ is inversion-symmetry related pairs of U atoms, forming rungs of ladders. Here we show how each rung's two sublattice degrees of freedom play a key role in understanding the electronic structure and the origin of superconductivity. In particular, $\mathrm{DFT}+U$ calculations generically reveal a topological band near the chemical potential originating from a band inversion associated with $5f$ electrons residing on these rungs, necessitating a microscopic description that includes these rung degrees of freedom. Furthermore, we show that a previously identified strong ferromagnetic interaction within a U-U rung leads to a pseudospin-triplet superconducting state that accounts for a nonzero polar Kerr angle, the observed magnetic field-temperature phase diagrams, and nodal Weyl fermions. Our analysis may also be relevant for other U-based superconductors.

Atomic Line Defects and Topological Superconductivity in Unconventional Superconductors

Topological superconductors (TSCs) are correlated quantum states with simultaneous off-diagonal long-range order and nontrivial topological invariants. They produce gapless or zero energy boundary excitations, including Majorana zero modes and chiral Majorana edge states with topologically protected phase coherence essential for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Candidate TSCs are very rare in nature. Here, we propose a novel route toward emergent quasi-one-dimensional (1D) TSCs in naturally embedded quantum structures such as atomic line defects in unconventional spin-singlet $s$-wave and $d$-wave superconductors. We show that inversion symmetry breaking and charge transfer due to the missing atoms lead to the occupation of incipient impurity bands and mixed parity spin singlet and triplet Cooper pairing of neighboring electrons traversing the line defect. Nontrivial topological invariants arise and occupy a large part of the parameter space, including the time reversal symmetry breaking Zeeman coupling due to applied magnetic field or defect-induced magnetism, creating TSCs in different topological classes with robust Majorana zero modes at both ends of the line defect. Beyond providing a novel mechanism for the recent discovery of zero-energy bound states at both ends of an atomic line defect in monolayer Fe(Te,Se) superconductors, the findings pave the way for new material realizations of the simplest and most robust 1D TSCs using embedded quantum structures in unconventional superconductors with large pairing energy gaps and high transition temperatures.

Realization of arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates based on chiral Majorana fermions* *Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0303301), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11921005), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB28000000), and Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, China (Grant No. Z191100007219013).

Quantum computers are in hot-spot with the potential to handle more complex problems than classical computers can. Realizing the quantum computation requires the universal quantum gate set {T, H, CNOT} so as to perform any unitary transformation with arbitrary accuracy. Here we first briefly review the Majorana fermions and then propose the realization of arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates based on chiral Majorana fermions. Elementary cells consist of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator surrounded by a topological superconductor with electric gates and quantum-dot structures, which enable the braiding operation and the partial exchange operation. After defining a qubit by four chiral Majorana fermions, the single-qubit T and H quantum gates are realized via one partial exchange operation and three braiding operations, respectively. The entangled CNOT quantum gate is performed by braiding six chiral Majorana fermions. Besides, we design a powerful device with which arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates can be realized and take the quantum Fourier transform as an example to show that several quantum operations can be performed with this space-limited device. Thus, our proposal could inspire further utilization of mobile chiral Majorana edge states for faster quantum computation.

Prediction of Majorana edge states from magnetized topological surface states

As key signatures of topological superconductors (TSCs), the chiral and helical Majorana edge states (MESs) have received increasing attention recently. One prudent mechanism for realizing the MESs is by magnetizing topological surface states (TSSs) associated with conventional superconductivity. Here we construct comprehensive phase diagrams in the parameter space of magnetization and superconductivity for TSSs, based on tight-binding model analyses. In addition to the chiral MESs hosted by the quantum anomalous Hall (QAH), the half-plateau surface QAH and the zero-plateau QAH states, we find that the axion insulator state can realize helical MES, where the opened Zeeman gaps in two TSSs with antiferromagnetic exchange fields eliminate the requirement of the opposite phases between the superconducting gaps in two TSSs. We also demonstrate that the TSC phase is robust against the increase of interaction between two TSSs when the square of the sum of two superconducting gaps is smaller than that of two Zeeman energies. Furthermore, using first-principles approach, we predict $\mathrm{Mn}{\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{4}/{\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$ film placed on a superconducting substrate to be an ideal experimental platform to realize the chiral MESs within a wide energy range (\ensuremath{\sim}80 meV), which persist even down to one quintuple layer of ${\mathrm{Bi}}_{2}{\mathrm{Te}}_{3}$. Our findings shed light on fundamental understanding of TSC phase and paving another avenue to search for TSC materials.

Phase Diagram and Edge States of Surface States of Topological Superconductors

Majorana fermions in two-dimensional systems satisfy non-Abelian statistics. They are possible to exist in topological superconductors as quasi particles, which is of great significance for topological quantum computing. In this paper, we study a new promising system of superconducting topological surface state topological insulator thin films. We also study the phase diagrams of the model by plotting the Majorana edge states and the density of states in different regions of the phase diagram. Due to the mirror symmetry of the topological surface states, the Hamiltonian can be block diagonalized into two spin-triplet p-wave superconductors, which are also confirmed by the phase diagrams. The chiral Majorana edge modes may provide a new route for realizing topological quantum computation.

Probing the chirality of one-dimensional Majorana edge states around a two-dimensional nanoflake in a superconductor

The interplay between superconductivity, magnetic field and spin-orbit coupling can lead to the realization of non--trivial topological phases. Recent experiments have found signatures of such phases in magnetic nanoflakes formed by nanostructures coupled to a superconducting substrate. These heterostructures comprise a topologically non-trivial region surrounded by a trivial one due to the finite magnetic exchange field induced by the magnetic nanoflake. The analysis of the topological phase diagram of such a system shows that a similar phase separation occurs by tuning the chemical potential of the nanoflake. In this paper, we study such a possibility in detail, analyzing the spatial extent of the edge modes circulating around the nanoflake and discussing some practical implementations. We also show how the chirality of Majorana edge states can be probed using scanning tunneling spectroscopy with a double tip setup.

Theory of Surface Andreev Bound States and Odd-Frequency Pairing in Superconductor Junctions

In this review, we mention about the theoretical achievement of physics of surface Andreev bound state (SABS) and odd-frequency pairing during this quarter century based on our research. Currently, topological superconductors with Majorana edge state have become a central issue in condensed matter physics. It is noted that Majorana edge state is nothing but a zero energy surface Andreev bound state (ZESABS) and the study of ZESABS has started in the context of the pairing symmetry of high Tc cuprate. We mention our obtained conductance formula of quasiparticle tunneling and Josephson current in unconventional superconductor junctions through ZESABS have already captured the essence of the charge transport profile via the Majorana fermion. We also mention that in the presence of ZESABS, odd-frequency pairing like spin-triplet s-wave or spin-singlet p-wave is hugely enhanced near the surface or interface. We further analyze the spectroscopy of the induced odd-frequency pairings by extending bulk-boundary correspondence in ZESABS. If we consider a semi-infinite superconductor with ZESABS, the induced odd-frequency pair amplitude can be expressed by a c-number defined in bulk, which we call spectral bulk-boundary correspondence. The odd-frequency pair amplitude is classified into singular part and regular one, the former part is proportional to $\sim 1/z$ (z is a complex frequency) reflecting the presence of ZESABS, and the latter one is proportional to $\sim z$ . The coefficient of the latter one diverges at the topological phase transition point. Analyzing the spectral behavior of the odd-frequency pairing is useful to understand the critical phenomena near topological transition points.

Spin–Orbit Coupling-Induced Effective Interactions in Superconducting Nanowires in the Strong Correlation Regime

In the second order of the operator form of the perturbation theory, the effective interactions in a superconducting nanowire have been obtained at the strong electron correlations, when the spin–orbit coupling parameter is comparable with the hopping integral. Using the exact diagonalization technique, in short nanowires with the open boundary conditions at the strong Coulomb repulsion, the excitations corresponding to the Majorana edge states with the energy below the value of a bulk superconducting gap have been demonstrated.

Phase diagram and topological order in the modulated XYZ chain with magnetic field

The $XYZ$ antiferromagnetic spin-$1/2$ chain with alternation of the exchange and anisotropy couplings in the presence of uniform and staggered axial magnetic fields is studied. The analysis is done using the effective quadratic fermionic Hamiltonian resulting from the Hartee-Fock approximation. Combining the exact and the mean-field methods, the local and string order parameters on the ground-state phase diagram of the model are identified and calculated. We found a topological phase with oscillating string order with a period of four lattice spacings, not reported before for this model. A detailed analysis of patterns of the string order is given. The special $XXZ$ limit of the model with additional $U(1)$ symmetry brings about, in agreement with the Lieb-Schultz-Mattis theorem and its extensions, plateaux of magnetization and some additional conserving quantities. We have shown that in the $XYZ$ chain, where the plateaux are smeared, the robust oscillating string order parameter is continuously connected to its $XXZ$ limit. Also, the non-trivial winding number and zero-energy localized Majorana edge states, as additional attributes of topological order, are robust in that phase, even off the line of $U(1)$ symmetry.

Electrical Probes of the Non-Abelian Spin Liquid in Kitaev Materials

Recent thermal-conductivity measurements evidence a magnetic-field-induced non-Abelian spin liquid phase in the Kitaev material $\alpha$-$\mathrm{RuCl}_{3}$. Although the platform is a good Mott insulator, we propose experiments that electrically probe the spin liquid's hallmark chiral Majorana edge state and bulk anyons, including their exotic exchange statistics. We specifically introduce circuits that exploit interfaces between electrically active systems and Kitaev materials to `perfectly' convert electrons from the former into emergent fermions in the latter---thereby enabling variations of transport probes invented for topological superconductors and fractional quantum Hall states. Along the way we resolve puzzles in the literature concerning interacting Majorana fermions, and also develop an anyon-interferometry framework that incorporates nontrivial energy-partitioning effects. Our results illuminate a partial pathway towards topological quantum computation with Kitaev materials.