Quantized charge transport in chiral Majorana edge modes

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Contributors

Abstract

Majorana fermions can be realized as quasiparticles in topological superconductors, with potential applications in topological quantum computing. Recently, lattices of magnetic adatoms deposited on the surface of s-wave superconductors - Shiba lattices - have been proposed as a new platform for topological superconductivity. These systems possess the great advantage that they are accessible via scanning-probe techniques and thus enable the local manipulation and detection of Majorana modes. Using a nonequilibrium Green's function technique we demonstrate that the topological Majorana edge modes of nanoscopic Shiba islands display universal electronic and transport properties. Most remarkably, these Majorana modes possess a quantized charge conductance that is proportional to the topological Chern number, C, and carry a supercurrent whose chirality reflects the sign of C. These results establish nanoscopic Shiba islands as promising components in future topology-based devices.

Details

Original languageEnglish
Article number205131
JournalPhysical Review B
Volume96
Issue number20
Publication statusPublished - 16 Nov 2017
Peer-reviewedYes