Non-Abelian statistics of half-quantum vortices in p-wave superconductors

Excitation spectrum of a half-quantum vortex in a p-wave superconductor contains a zero-energy Majorana fermion. This results in a degeneracy of the ground state of the system of several vortices. From the properties of the solutions to Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations in the vortex core we derive the non-Abelian statistics of vortices identical to that for the Moore-Read (Pfaffian) quantum Hall state.     

Chain of Majorana states from superconducting Dirac fermions at a magnetic domain wall

We study theoretically a strongly type-II s-wave superconducting state of two-dimensional Dirac fermions in proximity to a ferromagnet having in-plane magnetization. It is shown that a magnetic domain wall can host a chain of equally spaced vortices in the superconducting order parameter, each of which binds a Majorana-fermion state. The overlap integral of neighboring Majorana states is sensitive to the position of the chemical potential of the Dirac fermions. Thermal transport and scanning tunneling microscopy experiments to probe the Majorana fermions are discussed.     

Fermion zero modes in the presence of non-abelian vortices

The Dirac equation in the presence of non-abelian vortices is investigated . For isospinor fermions coupled to the vortex in the SU(2) Nielsen-Olesen model, there are normalisable well-behaved zero-energy solutions. When the fermions are in the adjoint representation there are no normalisable zero modes. The Z₂ vortex appearing in a SO(10) theory is explicitly constructed and it is shown that the heavy neutrino can be bound to it in a zero-energy state.     

A theorem for the existence of Majorana fermion modes in spin-orbit-coupled semiconductors

We prove an index theorem for the existence of Majorana zero modes in a semiconducting thin film with a sizable spin-orbit coupling when it is adjacent to an s-wave superconductor. The theorem, which is analogous to the Jackiw-Rebbi index theorem for the zero modes in mass domain walls in one-dimensional Dirac theory, applies to vortices with odd flux-quantum in a semiconducting film in which s-wave superconductivity and a Zeeman splitting are induced by proximity effect. The momentum space construction of the zero-mode solution presented here is complementary to the approximate real space solution of the Bogoliubov-de Gennes equations at a vortex core (Sau et al., arXiv:0907.2239 [17]), proving the existence of non-degenerate zero-energy Majorana excitations and the resultant non-Abelian topological order in the semiconductor heterostructure. With increasing magnitude of the proximity-induced pairing potential, the non-Abelian superconducting state makes a topological quantum phase transition to an ordinary s-wave superconducting state which no topological order.     

Zero modes for Dirac fermions on a sphere with fractional vortex

Normalized zero-energy states are shown to emerge for massless Dirac fermions in an external gauge field that gives rise to nonquantized vortices on a sphere. A field-theory model is used to describe electronic states of a fullerene-like molecule. In particular, we predict the existence of exactly one zero-energy mode due to a disclination. For 60° disclination, the normalized electron density at zero energy is found to behave as R ^?5/3, with R being the fullerene radius.     

Avoidance of Majorana resonances in periodic topological superconductor-nanowire structures

Semiconducting nanowires in proximity to superconductors are promising experimental systems for Majorana fermions which may ultimately be used as building blocks for topological quantum computers. A serious challenge in the experimental realization of the Majorana fermion in these semiconductor-superconductor-nanowire structures is tuning the semiconductor chemical potential in close proximity to the metallic superconductor. We show that presently realizable structures in experiments with tunable chemical potential lead to Majorana resonances, which are interesting in their own right, but do not manifest non-Abelian statistics. To resolve this crucial barrier to the solid state realization of Majorana fermions, we propose a new topological superconducting array structure where introducing the superconducting proximity effect from adjacent nanowires generates Majorana fermions with non-Abelian statistics.     

Observing Majorana bound states in p-wave superconductors using noise measurements in tunneling experiments

The zero-energy bound states at the edges or vortex cores of chiral p-wave superconductors should behave like Majorana fermions. We introduce a model Hamiltonian that describes the tunneling process when electrons are injected into such states. Using a nonequilibrium Green function formalism, we find exact analytic expressions for the tunneling current and noise and identify experimental signatures of the Majorana nature of the bound states to be found in the shot noise. We discuss the results in the context of different candidate materials that support triplet superconductivity. Experimental verification of the Majorana character of midgap states would have important implications for the prospects of topological quantum computation.     

Detecting non-Abelian statistics of Majorana fermions in quantum nanowire networks

A scheme in semiconducting quantum nanowire structure has been proposed to demonstrate the non-Abelian statistics for Majorana fermions in terms of braid group. The Majorana fermions are localized at the endpoints of semiconducting wires, which are deposited on an s-wave superconductor. The non-Abelian nature of Majorana fermion is manifested by the fact that the output of the different applied orders of two operations, constructed by the braid group elements, are different. In particular, the difference can be unambiguously imprinted on the quantum states of a superconducting flux qubit.     

Index theorem for the zero modes of Majorana fermion vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors

We show that the Majorana fermion zero modes in the cores of odd winding number vortices of a 2D (p(x)+ip(y))-paired superconductor is due to an index theorem. This theorem is analogous to that proven by Jackiw and Rebbi for the existence of localized Dirac fermion zero modes on the mass domain walls of a 1D Dirac theory. The important difference is that, in our case, the theorem is proven for a two component fermion field theory where the first and second components are related by parity reversal and Hermitian conjugation.     

Influence of <Emphasis Type="Italic">CP</Emphasis> and <Emphasis Type="Italic">CPT</Emphasis> on production and decay of Dirac and Majorana fermions

The consequences of CP and CPT invariance for production and subsequent decay of Dirac and Majorana fermions in polarized fermion-antifermion annihilation are analytically studied. We derive general symmetry relations for the production spin density matrix and for the three-particle decay matrices and obtain constraints for the polarization and the spin-spin correlations of Dirac and Majorana fermions. We prove that only for Majorana fermions the energy and opening angle distribution factorizes exactly into contributions from production and decay if CP is conserved. Received: 6 November 2001 / Revised version: 23 April 2002 / Published online: 12 July 2002     

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.     

Flat bands in topological media

Topological media are systems whose properties are protected by topology and thus are robust to deformations of the system. In topological insulators and superconductors the bulk-surface and bulk-vortex correspondence gives rise to the gapless Weyl, Dirac or Majorana fermions on the surface of the system and inside vortex cores. Here we show that in gapless topological media, the bulk-surface and bulk-vortex correspondence is more effective: it produces topologically protected gapless fermions without dispersion—the fiat band. Fermion zero modes forming the flat band are localized on the surface of topological media with protected nodal lines [A. P. Schnyder and S. Ryu, Phys. Rev. B 84, 060504(R) (2011); T. T. Heikkil G. E. Volovik, JETP Lett. 93, 59 (2011)] and in the vortex core in systems with topologically protected Fermi points (Weyl points) [G. E. Volovik, JETP Lett. 93, 66 (2011)]. Flat band has an extremely singular density of states, and we show that this property may give rise in particular to surface superconductivity which could exist even at room temperature.     

Testable signatures of quantum nonlocality in a two-dimensional chiral p-wave superconductor

A class of topological excitations-the odd-winding number vortices-in a spinless 2D chiral p-wave (px+ipy) superconductor traps Majorana fermion states in the vortex cores. For a dilute gas of such vortices, the lowest energy fermionic eigenstates are intrinsically nonlocal. We predict two testable signatures of this unusual quantum nonlocality in quasiparticle tunneling experiments. We discuss why the associated teleportationlike phenomenon does not imply the violation of causality.     

On the oscillations of neutrinos with Dirac and Majorana masses

Pontecorvo neutrino oscillations are discussed in the case of Dirac as well as Majorana neutrino mass terms. We prove that none of the possible experiments on neutrino oscillations including those on CP nonconservation, can distinguish between these two possibilities. Oscillations of neutrinos having both Dirac and Majorana mass terms also considered.     

Reprint of : Full counting statistics of Majorana interferometers

We study the full counting statistics of interferometers for chiral Majorana fermions with two incoming and two outgoing Dirac fermion channels. In the absence of interactions, the FCS can be obtained from the 4×4 scattering matrix S that relates the outgoing Dirac fermions to the incoming Dirac fermions. After presenting explicit expressions for the higher-order current correlations for a modified Hanbury Brown–Twiss interferometer, we note that the cumulant-generating function can be interpreted such that unit-charge transfer processes correspond to two independent half-charge transfer processes, or alternatively, to two independent electron-hole conversion processes. By a combination of analytical and numerical approaches, we verify that this factorization property holds for a general $\mathit{SO}\left(4\right)$ scattering matrix, i.e. for a general interferometer geometry.     

Graphene wormholes: A condensed matter illustration of Dirac fermions in curved space

We study the properties of graphene wormholes in which a short nanotube acts as a bridge between two graphene sheets, where the honeycomb carbon lattice is curved from the presence of 12 heptagonal defects. By taking the nanotube bridge with very small length compared to the radius, we develop an effective theory of Dirac fermions to account for the low-energy electronic properties of the wormholes in the continuum limit, where the frustration induced by the heptagonal defects is mimicked by a line of fictitious gauge flux attached to each of them. We find in particular that, when the effective gauge flux from the topological defects becomes maximal, the zero-energy modes of the Dirac equation can be arranged into two triplets, that can be thought as the counterpart of the two triplets of zero modes that arise in the dual instance of the continuum limit of large spherical fullerenes. We further investigate the graphene wormhole spectra by performing a numerical diagonalization of tight-binding Hamiltonians for very large lattices realizing the wormhole geometry. The correspondence between the number of localized electronic states observed in the numerical approach and the effective gauge flux predicted in the continuum limit shows that graphene wormholes can be consistently described by an effective theory of two Dirac fermion fields in the curved geometry of the wormhole, opening the possibility of using real samples of the carbon material as a playground to experiment with the interaction between the background curvature and the Dirac fields.     

从高质量半导体/超导体纳米线到马约拉纳零能模

作为马约拉纳费米子的“凝聚态版本”,马约拉纳零能模是当前凝聚态物理领域的研究热点.马约拉纳零能模满足非阿贝尔统计,可以构建受拓扑保护的量子比特.这种由空间上分离的马约拉纳零能模构建的拓扑量子比特不易受局域噪声的干扰,具有长的退相干时间,在容错量子计算中具有重要的应用前景.半导体/超导体纳米线是研究马约拉纳零能模和拓扑量子计算的理想实验平台.本文综述了高质量半导体纳米线外延生长、半导体/超导体异质结制备以及相应的马约拉纳零能模研究方面的进展,并对半导体/超导体纳米线在量子计算中的应用前景进行了展望.     

Index of a family of lattice Dirac operators and its relation to the non-Abelian anomaly on the lattice

In the continuum, a topological obstruction to the vanishing of the non-Abelian anomaly in 2n dimensions is given by the index of a certain Dirac operator in 2n+2 dimensions, or equivalently, the index of a 2-parameter family of Dirac operators in 2n dimensions. In this paper an analogous result is derived for chiral fermions on the lattice in the overlap formulation. This involves deriving an index theorem for a family of lattice Dirac operators satisfying the Ginsparg-Wilson relation. The index density is proportional to Lüscher's topological field in 2n+2 dimensions.     

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.