Non-equilibrium 8π Josephson effect in atomic Kitaev wires
Research output: Contribution to journal › Research article › Contributed › peer-review
Contributors
Abstract
The identification of fractionalized excitations, such as Majorana quasi-particles, would be a striking signal of the realization of exotic quantum states of matter. While the paramount demonstration of such excitations would be a probe of their non-Abelian statistics via controlled braiding operations, alternative proposals exist that may be easier to access experimentally. Here we identify a signature of Majorana quasi-particles, qualitatively different from the behaviour of a conventional superconductor, which can be detected in cold atom systems using alkaline-earth-like atoms. The system studied is a Kitaev wire interrupted by an extra site, which gives rise to super-exchange coupling between two Majorana-bound states. We show that this system hosts a tunable, non-equilibrium Josephson effect with a characteristic 8π periodicity of the Josephson current. The visibility of the 8π periodicity of the Josephson current is then studied including the effects of dephasing and particle losses.
Details
Original language | English |
---|---|
Article number | 12280 |
Journal | Nature communications |
Volume | 7 |
Publication status | Published - 2 Aug 2016 |
Peer-reviewed | Yes |
Externally published | Yes |