拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结中的近邻效应（英文）

拓扑超导体自身具有对量子退相干天然的免疫性以及可编织性,这使得它在现代量子计算领域中受到了越来越多的重视,并且成为了下一代计算技术中最有希望的候选者之一。由于拓扑超导态在固有拓扑超导体中相当罕见,因此,当前大部分实验上的工作主要集中在由s波超导体与拓扑绝缘体之间通过近邻效应所诱导的拓扑超导体上。本论文中,我们回顾了基于拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结的拓扑超导体的研究进展。在理论上,Fu和Kane提出,通过近邻效应将s波超导体的能隙引入到拓扑绝缘体,可以诱导出拓扑超导电性。在实验上,我们也回顾了一些不同体系中的拓扑超导近邻效应的研究进展。文章的第一部分,我们介绍了一些异质结,包括:三维拓扑绝缘体Bi₂Se₃和Bi₂Se₃与s波超导体NbSe₂以及d波超导体Bi₂Sr₂CaCu₂O_8+δ的异质结,拓扑绝缘体Sn_1-xPb_xTe与Pb的异质结,二维拓扑绝缘体W...     

《自然·物理》报道拓扑绝缘体/高温超导体近邻效应研究最新成果

清华大学物理系周树云研究组、陈曦/薛其坤研究组和清华大学高等研究院姚宏研究员,最近在拓扑绝缘体和高温超导体异质界面的超导近邻效应研究中取得重要进展.他们首次利用分子束外延（MBE）在高温超导体Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8＋d（BSCCO）上制备出高质量Bi2Se3拓扑绝缘体薄膜,     

基于拓扑绝缘体纳米线约瑟夫森结的反常临界超流增强和半整数夏皮洛台阶

基于拓扑绝缘体材料的约瑟夫森结是寻找马约拉纳零能模的候选器件,因而受到拓扑量子计算研究领域的关注.这方面实验的关键之一,是制备具有优质结区的约瑟夫森器件.本工作在三维拓扑绝缘体Bi₂Te₃和Bi₂(Se_xTe_1-x)₃纳米线上制作了约瑟夫森结器件,研究了其结区的超导邻近效应、多重安德列夫反射和超流-相位关系,观测到了约瑟夫森结的临界超流随磁场增大而反常地增大、其交流约瑟夫森效应出现半整数的夏皮洛台阶的实验结果.本文还讨论了这些反常现象的可能来源,特别是与结区界面处超导电极的Ti缓冲层和拓扑绝缘体纳米线中的Te元素形成TiTe铁磁性合金层的关系.     

纳米尺度下超导体和拓扑绝缘体的电输运特性

超导体和拓扑绝缘体研究是当前凝聚态物理领域中的重大课题.文章重点介绍了作者所在实验室在纳米超导和拓扑绝缘体电输运领域的实验进展,其中包括金属和铁磁纳米线中的超导近邻效应、半金属纳米线中的新奇超导特性、拓扑绝缘体薄膜中的量子输运以及超导态-拓扑量子态的相互作用等,并对该领域的进一步发展进行了展望.     

从金属原子气样本上观察到约瑟夫森效应

1962年由B·D·约瑟夫森首先在理论上预言了电子能通过两块超导体之间薄绝缘层的量子隧道效应，这个预言在一年之后得到了实验上的证实．为表彰约瑟夫森的理论预言，1973年授予他诺贝尔物理学奖，由此普遍称为约瑟夫森效应．该效应的内容得到充实和完善，应用也快速发展，逐渐形成一门新兴学科——超导电子学．两块超导体夹一层厚度适当的薄绝缘材料的组合称S-I-S超导隧道结或约瑟夫森结．约瑟夫森效应分为两种：     

相位与约瑟夫森效应及其在超导中的应用

 许多物理效应(如多普勒效应,约瑟夫森效应、ＡＢ效应、干涉效应、量子霍尔效应)都与相位紧密相关,且相位的物理效应已在很多领域中得到了验证和应用。本文就相位与约瑟夫森效应及其在超导现象中的应用进行分析和讨论。一、约瑟夫森效应当两块超导体之间所夹绝缘层的厚度很薄(10-7ｃｍ左右)时,两超导体中的电子对会因隧道效应而耦合,电子对将从一块超导体进入另一超导体,形成超导(隧导)电流,而两超导区的电子对波函数具有确定的相位关系,这种现象称为约瑟夫森效应。1962年约瑟夫森研究了两块超导体被一层薄绝缘层分开的Ｓ-Ｉ-Ｓ结,即超导的隧道结,从理论上预言将会有以下的物理效应。     

拓扑半金属-超导体异质结的约瑟夫森效应

拓扑半金属是一类受对称性保护的无能隙量子材料.因其相对论性能带色散关系,拓扑半金属中涌现出丰富的量子态和量子效应,例如费米弧表面态和手征反常.近年来,因在拓扑量子计算的潜在应用,拓扑与超导的耦合体系受到广泛关注.本文从两方面回顾拓扑半金属-超导体异质结体系近年来的实验进展:1)超导电流对拓扑量子态的模式过滤; 2)拓扑超导和Majorana零能模的探测与调控.对于前者,利用约瑟夫森电流对电磁场的响应,拓扑半金属中费米弧表面态的弹道输运被揭示,高阶拓扑半金属相被证实,有限动量配对及超导二极管效应被实现.对于后者,通过交流约瑟夫森效应,狄拉克半金属中4π周期的拓扑超导态被发现,纯电学栅压调控的拓扑相变被实现.本文最后展望了拓扑半金属-超导体异质结体系的发展前景和在Majorana零能模编织和拓扑量子计算上的潜在应用.     

EuS/Ta异质结的极大磁电阻效应

在铁磁/超导异质结中,铁磁体的交换场通过近邻效应将导致超导体准粒子态密度的塞曼劈裂.基于该效应,在外磁场不强的情况下,通过外加磁场可以有效地调节铁磁/超导界面处的交换作用,从而实现超导体在正常态和超导态之间转换,产生极大磁电阻.本文利用脉冲激光沉积方法制备了EuS/Ta异质结并研究了其电磁特性.Ta在3.6 K以下为超...     

Bi2Te3拓扑绝缘体表面颗粒化铅膜诱导的超导邻近效应

拓扑绝缘体的出现为寻找拓扑超导体和Majorana费米子提供了一种可能的途径. 在拓扑绝缘体Bi₂Te₃表面沉积极薄的不连续铅膜, 试图通过邻近效应感应出大片的超导区, 为下一步研究拓扑超导电性创造条件.借助四引线电输运测量实验, 在0.25 K的低温下看到了超流现象, 表明沉积在Bi₂Te₃表面的厚度小于20 nm的颗粒化铅膜能够诱导邻近效应, 并且使大片Bi₂Te₃超导. 关键词： 超导邻近效应 S-N-S结 拓扑绝缘体     

在人工拓扑超导体磁通涡旋中寻找Majorana零能模

寻找具有拓扑序的新物质态是目前一个非常活跃和令人激动的研究领域.与拓扑绝缘体类似,在超导体中也存在着拓扑非平庸的超导态,它与传统的超导体在拓扑性上是不等价的,这种具有非平庸拓扑序的超导体被称为拓扑超导体.拓扑超导体在体内具有非零的超导能隙,而在表面有无能隙的表面态.理论预言在拓扑超导体中能够实现具有非Abelian统计特性的Majorana费米子. Majorana费米子可以用来构建拓扑量子比特,在拓扑量子计算方面有重大的科研和应用前景.拓扑绝缘体的出现催生出了许多人工拓扑超导体材料.本专题将主要介绍在拓扑绝缘体/超导体异质结中探测Majorana费米子的一系列实验工作.通过对拓扑超导体的研究,人们对超导电性有了全新的认识,有可能找到实现Majorana费米子新奇量子物理性质的方法.     

Multiple andreev reflections in topological insulator nanoribbons

Superconducting proximity junctions made of topological insulator (TI) nanoribbons (NRs) provide a useful platform for studying topological superconductivity. We report on the fabrication and measurement of Josephson junctions (JJs) using Sb-doped Bi₂Se₃ NRs in contact with Al electrodes. Aharonov–Bohm and Altshuler–Aronov–Spivak oscillations of the axial magneto-conductance of TI NR were observed, indicating the existence of metallic surface states along the circumference of the TI NR. We observed the supercurrent in the TI NR JJ and subharmonic gap structures of the differential conductance due to multiple Andreev reflections. The interface transparency of the TI NR JJs estimated based on the excess current reaches τ = 0.83, which is among the highest values reported for TI JJs. The temperature dependence of critical current is consistent with the short and ballistic junction model confirming the formation of highly transparent superconducting contacts on the TI NR. Our observations would be useful for exploring topological Josephson effects in TI NRs.     

Gate Tunable Supercurrent in Josephson Junctions Based on Bi_2Te_3 Topological Insulator Thin Films

We report transport measurements on Josephson junctions consisting of Bi_2Te_3 topological insulator(TI) thin films contacted by superconducting Nb electrodes.For a device with junction length L=134 nm,the critical supercurrent I_c can be modulated by an electrical gate which tunes the carrier type and density of the TI film.I_c can reach a minimum when the TI is near the charge neutrality regime with the Fermi energy lying close to the Dirac point of the surface state.In the p-type regime the Josephson current can be well described by a short ballistic junction model.In the n-type regime the junction is ballistic at 0.7 K T 3.8 K while for T 0.7 K the diffusive bulk modes emerge and contribute a larger I_c than the ballistic model.We attribute the lack of diffusive bulk modes in the p-type regime to the formation of p-n junctions.Our work provides new clues for search of Majorana zero mode in TI-based superconducting devices.     

Nonequilibrium Josephson effect through helical edge states

We study Josephson junctions between superconductors connected through the helical edge states of a two-dimensional topological insulator in the presence of a magnetic barrier. As the equilibrium Andreev bound states of the junction are 4π periodic in the superconducting phase difference, it was speculated that, at finite dc bias voltage, the junction exhibits a fractional Josephson effect with half the Josephson frequency. Using the scattering matrix formalism, we show that his effect is absent in the average current. However, clear signatures can be seen in the finite-frequency current noise. Furthermore, we discuss other manifestations of the Majorana bound states forming at the edges of the superconductors.     

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.     

Quantum terahertz electrodynamics and macroscopic quantum tunneling in layered superconductors

We derive a quantum field theory of Josephson plasma waves (JPWs) in layered superconductors, which describes two types of interacting JPW bosonic quanta (one heavy and one lighter). We propose a mechanism of enhancement of macroscopic quantum tunneling (MQT) in stacks of intrinsic Josephson junctions. Because of the long-range interaction between junctions in layered superconductors, the calculated MQT escape rate Gamma has a nonlinear dependence on the number of junctions in the stack. We show that the crossover temperature between quantum and thermal escape increases when increasing the number of junctions. This allows us to quantitatively describe striking recent experiments in Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta stacks.     

Superconducting proximity effect and majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator

We study the proximity effect between an s-wave superconductor and the surface states of a strong topological insulator. The resulting two-dimensional state resembles a spinless px+ipy superconductor, but does not break time reversal symmetry. This state supports Majorana bound states at vortices. We show that linear junctions between superconductors mediated by the topological insulator form a nonchiral one-dimensional wire for Majorana fermions, and that circuits formed from these junctions provide a method for creating, manipulating, and fusing Majorana bound states.     

Anomalous Josephson current via Majorana bound states in topological insulators

We propose a setup involving Majorana bound states (MBS) hosted by a vortex on a superconducting surface of a 3D topological insulator (TI). We consider a narrow channel drilled across a TI slab with both sides covered by s-wave superconductor. In the presence of a vortex pinned to such a channel, it acts as a ballistic nanowire connecting the superconducting surfaces, with a pair of MBS localized in it. The energies of the MBS possess a 4π-periodic dependence on the superconductive phase difference φ between the surfaces. It results in the appearance of an anomalous term in the current-phase relation I(a)(φ) for the supercurrent flowing along the channel between the superconductive surfaces. We have calculated the shape of the 4π-periodic function I(a)(φ), as well as the dependence of its amplitude on temperature and system parameters.     

Gapless Fermi surfaces of anisotropic multiband superconductors in a magnetic field

We propose that a new state with a fully gapless Fermi surface appears in quasi-2D multiband superconductors in magnetic field applied parallel to the plane. It is characterized by a paramagnetic moment caused by a finite density of states on the open Fermi surface. We calculate thermodynamic and magnetic properties of the gapless state for both s-wave and d-wave cases, and discuss the details of the first order metamagnetic phase transition that accompanies the appearance of the new phase in s-wave superconductors. We suggest possible experiments to detect this state both in the s-wave (2-H NbSe2) and d-wave (CeCoIn5) superconductors.     

Unconventional pairing in three-dimensional topological insulators with a warped surface state

We study the effect of the Fermi surface anisotropy (hexagonal warping) on the superconducting pair potential, induced in a three-dimensional topological insulator (TI) by proximity with an s-wave superconductor (S) in presence of a magnetic moment of a nearby ferromagnetic insulator (FI). In the previous studies, similar problem was treated with a simplified Hamiltonian, describing an isotropic Dirac cone dispersion. This approximation is only valid near the Dirac point. However, in topological insulators, the chemical potential often lies well above this point, where the Dirac cone is strongly anisotropic and its constant energy contour has a snowflake shape. Taking into account this shape, we show that a very exotic pair potential is induced on the topological insulator surface. Based on the symmetry arguments we also discuss the possibility of a supercurrent flowing along the S/FI interface, when an S/FI hybrid structure is formed on the TI surface.