Evolution of edge states in topological superfluids during the quantum phase transition

The quantum phase transition between topological and nontopological insulators or between fully gapped superfluids/superconductors can occur without closing the gap. We consider the evolution of the Majorana edge states on the surface of topological superconductor during transition to the topologically trivial superconductor on example of non-interacting Hamiltonian describing spin-triplet superfluid ³He-B. In conventional situation when the gap is nullified at the transition, the spectrum of Majorana fermions shrinks and vanishes after the transition to the trivial state. If the topological transition occurs without the gap closing, the Majorana fermion spectrum disappears by escaping to ultraviolet, where the Green’s function approaches zero. This demonstrates the close connection between the topological transition without closing the gap and zeroes in the Green’s function. Similar connection takes place in interacting systems where zeroes may occur due to interaction.     

Quantum computation using vortices and majorana zero modes of a px + ipy superfluid of fermionic cold atoms

We propose to use the recently predicted two-dimensional "weak-pairing" px + ipy superfluid state of fermionic cold atoms as a platform for topological quantum computation. In the core of a vortex, this state supports a zero-energy Majorana mode, which moves to finite energy in the corresponding topologically trivial "strong-pairing" state. By braiding vortices in the "weak-pairing" state, unitary quantum gates can be applied to the Hilbert space of Majorana zero modes. For readout of the topological qubits, we propose realistic schemes suitable for atomic superfluids.     

Surface Majorana cone of the topological superfluid 3He B phase

Topological superfluids and superconductors have been theoretically proposed, and it is now necessary to experimentally confirm their existence. Superfluid ³He should be the ideal test subject for topological theories because its bulk state is established to be that of a spin-triplet p-wave superfluid. Surface Andreev bound states of superfluid ³He were investigated by transverse acoustic impedance measurements and their linear dispersion was confirmed on a highly specular wall. The superfluid ³He B phase was found to be a topological superfluid showing bulk–edge correspondence and a surface Majorana cone was confirmed on the surface. Possible manifestations of the Majorana nature of the surface states are discussed.     

Fermion zero modes at the boundary of superfluid <Superscript>3</Superscript>He-B

Superfluid ³He-B belongs to the important special class of time-reversal invariant topological superfluids. It has Majorana fermions as edge states on the surface of bulk ³He-B. On the rough wall these fermion zero modes have finite density of states at E = 0. It is possible that Lancaster experiments with a wire vibrating in ³He-B have already probed Majorana fermions living on the surface of the wire.     

Topological invariant for superfluid <Superscript>3</Superscript>He-B and quantum phase transitions

We consider topological invariant describing the vacuum states of superfluid ³He-B, which belongs to the special class of time-reversal invariant topological insulators and superfluids. Discrete symmetries important for classification of the topologically distinct vacuum states are discussed. One of them leads to the additional subclasses of ³He-B states and is responsible for the finite density of states of Majorana fermions living at some interfaces between the bulk states. Integer valued topological invariant is expressed in terms of the Green’s function, which allows us to consider systems with interaction.     

What is a particle-conserving Topological Superfluid? The fate of Majorana modes beyond mean-field theory

We investigate Majorana modes of number-conserving fermionic superfluids from both basic physics principles, and concrete models perspectives. After reviewing a criterion for establishing topological superfluidity in interacting systems, based on many-body fermionic parity switches, we reveal the emergence of zero-energy modes anticommuting with fermionic parity. Those many-body Majorana modes are constructed as coherent superpositions of states with different number of fermions. While realization of Majorana modes beyond mean field is plausible, we show that the challenge to quantum-control them is compounded by particle-conservation, and more realistic protocols will have to balance engineering needs with astringent constraints coming from superselection rules. Majorana modes in number-conserving systems are the result of a peculiar interplay between quantum statistics, fermionic parity, and an unusual form of spontaneous symmetry breaking. We test these ideas on the Richardson–Gaudin–Kitaev chain, a number-conserving model solvable by way of the algebraic Bethe ansatz, and equivalent in mean field to a long-range Kitaev chain.     

Majorana zero mode in the vortex of an artificial topological superconductor

Majorana fermion (MF), an exotic particle that is identical to its own antiparticle, was recently found in solid matter as a quasiparticle excitation, the Majorana zero mode (MZM), in the vortex of an artificial topological superconductor (TSC). This artificial TSC, first proposed by Fu and Kane in 2008, is a heterostructure made of a topological insulator Bi₂Te₃ and an s-wave superconductor NbSe₂. This paper will briefly review the experimental progresses based on the Bi₂Te₃/NbSe₂ heterostructure. All evidences are self-consistent and reveal that the MZM exists in the center of vortex. Those experimental results are also supported by theory. This finding is a milestone in the research of Majorana fermions in solid state physics and a starting point of MZM’s application in topological quantum computation.     

超冷原子中拓扑超流的发展现状

拓扑超流态是一种奇异物质态,它的内部受能隙保护,而在其系统边缘却可以容纳无能隙的Majorana 费米子。由于该粒子满足非阿贝尔统计,并且受拓扑保护具有良好的稳定性,用它 们携带量子化的信息,可以用于拓扑量子计算的研究。近年来,理论工作预测了各类系统中可能 存在的拓扑超流态。我们首先介绍了在各类光晶格模型中的拓扑超流, 光晶格的超冷原子具有良 好的可控性与普适性,是实现拓扑超流的理想模型系统。接下来我们介绍了自旋轨道耦合调控下 的拓扑超流,自旋轨道耦合效应是诱导拓扑相的重要条件,并且人们已经在实验上合成了人工自 旋轨道耦合,这为实验上观测拓扑超流取得了突破性的进展。随着近年来实验技术的提高,曾经 难以在实验中观测的,被人们所忽略的拓扑Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (FFLO) 超流相也 成为了人们研究的热点,因此我们接下来介绍了拓扑的FFLO 超流。此外,我们还介绍了拓扑超 流其他方面的进展,包括孤子引诱的拓扑超流、三组分的拓扑超流、大陈数的拓扑超流以及拓扑 超流临界温度的提高。在实验中,如何检测与实现拓扑超流,是其研究的目的及意义所在,因 此我们在文章的最后介绍了拓扑超流的识别与实现。     

Topological superfluid in one-dimensional ultracold atomic system with spin-orbit coupling

We propose a one-dimensional Hamiltonian H _1D which supports Majorana fermions when d _{x² ? y²}-wave superfluid appears in the ultracold atomic system and obtain the phase diagrams both for the time-reversal-invariant (TRI) case and time-reversal-symmetry-breaking (TRSB) case. From the phase diagrams, we find that the Majorana doublets and the single Majorana fermions exist in the topological superfluid (TSF) regions for the TRI case and the TRSB case, respectively, and we can reach these regions by tuning the chemical potential μ and spin-orbit coupling α _R . Importantly, the spin-orbit coupling has been realized in ultracold atoms by the recent experimental achievement of synthetic gauge field, therefore, our one-dimensional ultra-cold atomic system described by H _1D is a promising platform to find the mysterious Majorana fermions.     

Topological phase diagram of a Kitaev ladder

We investigate the topological properties of a Kitaev ladder, i.e., a system made of two Kitaev chains coupled together by transversal hopping and pairing term, t₁ and Δ₁, respectively. Using the Chern number invariant, we present the topological phase diagram of the system. It is shown that beyond a non-topological phase, the system exhibits a topological phase either with four or two Majorana (zero energy) modes. In particular, we find that for some critical values of the transversal hopping t₁, and at a given transversal paring Δ₁, the topological phase survives also when the Kitaev criterion for the single chain (Δ > 0,   |μ| < 2t) is violated. Using a tight-binding analysis for a finite-size system we numerically check the bulk-edge correspondence.     

Interplay of spin–orbit coupling and superconducting correlations in germanium telluride thin films

There is much current interest in combining superconductivity and spin–orbit coupling in order to induce the topological superconductor phase and associated Majorana‐like quasiparticles which hold great promise towards fault‐tolerant quantum computing. Experimentally these effects have been combined by the proximity‐coupling of super‐conducting leads and high spin–orbit materials such as InSb and InAs, or by controlled Cu‐doping of topological insu‐lators such as Bi₂Se₃. However, for practical purposes, a single‐phase material which intrinsically displays both these effects is highly desirable. Here we demonstrate coexisting superconducting correlations and spin–orbit coupling in molecular‐beam‐epitaxy‐grown thin films of GeTe. The former is evidenced by a precipitous low‐temperature drop in the electrical resistivity which is quelled by a magnetic field, and the latter manifests as a weak antilocalisation (WAL) cusp in the magnetotransport. Our studies reveal several other intriguing features such as the presence of two‐dimensional rather than bulk transport channels below 2 K, possible signatures of topological superconductivity, and unexpected hysteresis in the magnetotransport. Our work demonstrates GeTe to be a potential host of topological SC and Majorana‐like excitations, and to be a versatile platform to develop quantum information device architectures. (© 2016 The Authors. Phys. Status Solidi RRL published by WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)     

Spin-Orbit Coupled s-Wave Superconductor in One-Dimensional Optical Lattice

We study the topological properties of spin-orbit coupled s-wave superconductor in one-dimensional optical lattice. Compared to its corresponding continuum model, the single particle spectrum is modified by the optical lattice and the topological phase which is characterized by the Majorana edge modes can survive in two regions of the singleparticle spectrum. With the help of the self-consistent Bogoliubov-de Gennes calculation in the harmonic trap, we find that the existence of an upper critical magnetic field removes the topological superconductor phase to the trap wings.We also study the effects of nonmagnetic and magnetic impurity on the topological properties, and find the universal behavior of the mid-gap state induced by impurity in the topological superconductor phase in strong scattering limit.     

Onset and dynamics of vortex-antivortex pairs in polariton optical parametric oscillator superfluids

We study, both theoretically and experimentally, the occurrence of topological defects in polariton superfluids in the optical parametric oscillator (OPO) regime. We explain in terms of local supercurrents the deterministic behavior of both the onset and dynamics of vortex-antivortex pairs generated by perturbing the system with a pulsed probe. Using a generalized Gross-Pitaevskii equation, including photonic disorder, pumping and decay, we elucidate the reason why topological defects form in couples and can be detected by direct visualizations in multishot OPO experiments.     

Superconducting quantum interference devices made of Sb-doped Bi2Se3 topological insulator nanoribbons

We report the fabrication and characterization of superconducting quantum interference devices (SQUIDs) made of Sb-doped Bi₂Se₃ topological insulator (TI) nanoribbon (NR) contacted with PbIn superconducting electrodes. When an external magnetic field was applied along the NR axis, the TI NR exhibited periodic magneto-conductance oscillations, the so-called Aharonov-Bohm oscillations, owing to one-dimensional subbands. Below the superconducting transition temperature of PbIn electrodes, we observed supercurrent flow through TI NR-based SQUID. The critical current periodically modulates with a magnetic field perpendicular to the SQUID loop, revealing that the periodicity corresponds to the superconducting flux quantum. Our experimental observations can be useful to explore Majorana bound states (MBS) in TI NR, promising for developing topological quantum information devices.     

Transport through a quantum dot coupled to two Majorana bound states

We investigate electron transport inside a ring system composed of a quantum dot (QD) coupled to two Majorana bound states confined at the ends of a one-dimensional topological superconductor nanowire. By tuning the magnetic flux threading through the ring, the model system we consider can be switched into states with or without zero-energy modes when the nanowire is in its topological phase. We find that the Fano profile in the conductance spectrum due to the interference between bound and continuum states exhibits markedly different features for these two different situations, which consequently can be used to detect the Majorana zero-energy mode. Most interestingly, as a periodic function of magnetic flux, the conductance shows 2π periodicity when the two Majorana bound states are nonoverlapping (as in an infinitely long nanowire) but displays 4π periodicity when the overlapping becomes nonzero (as in a finite length nanowire). We map the model system into a QD–Kitaev ring in the Majorana fermion representation and affirm these different characteristics by checking the energy spectrum.     

Topological Superconductivity in Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3)

A topological superconductor (TSC) is characterized by the topologically protected gapless surface state that is essentially an Andreev bound state consisting of Majorana fermions. While a TSC has not yet been discovered, the doped topological insulator Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3), which superconducts below ～3 K, has been predicted to possess a topological superconducting state. We report that the point-contact spectra on the cleaved surface of superconducting Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3) present a zero-bias conductance peak (ZBCP) which signifies unconventional superconductivity. Theoretical considerations of all possible superconducting states help us conclude that this ZBCP is due to Majorana fermions and gives evidence for a topological superconductivity in Cu(x)Bi(2)Se(3). In addition, we found an unusual pseudogap that develops below ～20 K and coexists with the topological superconducting state.     

Dominant Majorana bound energy and critical current enhancement in ferromagnetic-superconducting topological insulator

Among the potential applications of topological insulators, we theoretically study the coexistence of proximity-induced ferromagnetic and superconducting orders in the surface states of a 3-dimensional topological insulator. The superconducting electron-hole excitations can be significantly affected by the magnetic order induced by a ferromagnet. In one hand, the surface state of the topological insulator, protected by the time-reversal symmetry, creates a spin-triplet and, on the other hand, magnetic order causes to renormalize the effective superconducting gap. We find Majorana mode energy along the ferromagnet/superconductor interface to sensitively depend on the magnitude of magnetization m _zfs from superconductor region, and its slope around perpendicular incidence is steep with very low dependency on m _zfs . The superconducting effective gap is renormalized by a factor η(m _zfs ), and Andreev bound state in ferromagnet-superconductor/ferromagnet/ferromagnet-superconductor (FS/F/FS) Josephson junction is more sensitive to the magnitude of magnetizations of FS and F regions. In particular, we show that the presence of m _zfs has a noticeable impact on the gap opening in Andreev bound state, which occurs in finite angle of incidence. This directly results in zero-energy Andreev state being dominant. By introducing the proper form of corresponding Dirac spinors for FS electron-hole states, we find that via the inclusion of m _zfs , the Josephson supercurrent is enhanced and exhibits almost abrupt crossover curve, featuring the dominant zero-energy Majorana bound states.     

Entangled optical vortex links

Optical vortices are lines of phase singularity which percolate through all optical fields. We report the entanglement of linked optical vortex loops in the light produced by spontaneous parametric down-conversion. As measured by using a Bell inequality, this entanglement between topological features extends over macroscopic and finite volumes. The entanglement of photons in complex three-dimensional topological states suggests the possibility of entanglement of similar features in other quantum systems describable by complex scalar functions, such as superconductors, superfluids, and Bose-Einstein condensates.