Poor-man's Majorana edge mode enabled by specular Andreev reflection

Fuente: arXiv
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Autor principal: Beenakker, C. W. J.
Formato: Preprint
Publicado: 2024
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author Beenakker, C. W. J.
author_facet Beenakker, C. W. J.
contents It is known that the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator (3D TI) supports a chiral Majorana edge mode at the interface between a superconductor and a magnetic insulator. The complexity of the materials combination is such that this state has not yet been observed. Here we show that a helical Majorana edge mode appears even in the absence of the magnetic insulator, if the Fermi level of the massless surface electrons is at the Dirac point. Specular Andreev reflection of Dirac fermions is at the origin of the effect. The simplified geometry may favor experimental observation of the helical Majorana mode, although it lacks the topological protection of its chiral counterpart.
format Preprint
id arxiv_https___arxiv_org_abs_2409_20285
institution arXiv
publishDate 2024
record_format arxiv
spellingShingle Poor-man's Majorana edge mode enabled by specular Andreev reflection
Beenakker, C. W. J.
Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
It is known that the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator (3D TI) supports a chiral Majorana edge mode at the interface between a superconductor and a magnetic insulator. The complexity of the materials combination is such that this state has not yet been observed. Here we show that a helical Majorana edge mode appears even in the absence of the magnetic insulator, if the Fermi level of the massless surface electrons is at the Dirac point. Specular Andreev reflection of Dirac fermions is at the origin of the effect. The simplified geometry may favor experimental observation of the helical Majorana mode, although it lacks the topological protection of its chiral counterpart.
title Poor-man's Majorana edge mode enabled by specular Andreev reflection
topic Mesoscale and Nanoscale Physics
Superconductivity
url https://arxiv.org/abs/2409.20285