Superconducting Proximity Effect and Majorana Fermions at the Surface of a Topological Insulator

• Main Authors: Fu, Liang, Kane, Charles L
• Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
• Language: unknown
• Published: 2008
• Subjects: Physical Sciences and Mathematics; Physics; Kane; IPY
• Online Access: https://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/43444; https://hdl.handle.net/20.500.14332/43444

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. Suggested Citation: L. Fu and C.L. Kane. (2008). "Superconducting Proximity Effect and Majorana Fermions at the Surface of a Topological Insulator." Physical Review Letters. 100 , 096407. © 2008 The American Physical Society http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.096407