Phase-tunable Majorana bound states in a topological N-SNS junction

作者:Hansen E**en Bork*; Danon Jeroen; Flen**erg Karsten
来源:Physical Review B, 2016, 93(9): 094501.
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.93.094501

摘要

We theoretically study the differential conductance of a one-dimensional normal-superconductor-normal-superconductor (N-SNS) junction with a phase bias applied between the two superconductors. We consider specifically a junction formed by a spin-orbit coupled semiconducting nanowire with regions of the nanowire having superconducting pairing induced by a bulk s-wave superconductor. When the nanowire is tuned into a topologically nontrivial phase by a Zeeman field, it hosts zero-energy Majorana modes at its ends as well as at the interface between the two superconductors. The phase-dependent splitting of the Majorana modes gives rise to features in the differential conductance that offer a clear distinction between the topologically trivial and nontrivial phases. We calculate the transport properties of the junction numerically and also present a simple analytical model that captures the main properties of the predicted tunneling spectroscopy.

  • 出版日期2016-3-1