Phys.org October 23, 2024 Topological superconductors hosting Majorana zero modes are of great interest for both fundamental physics and potential quantum computing applications. Researchers in the Netherlands investigated the transport properties of the intrinsic magnetic topological insulator MnBi2Te4 (MBT). They found that the presence of chiral edge channels, though with deviations from perfect quantization due to factors such as non-uniform thickness, domain structures, and the presence of quasi-helical edge states. The fabricated superconducting junctions using niobium led on MBT exfoliated flakes, which showed an onset of supercurrent with clear Josephson coupling. The interference patterns in the superconducting junctions revealed interesting […]
Tag Archives: Topological superconductors
Researchers advance topological superconductors for quantum computing
Nanowerk September 21, 2023 The interface between 2D topological Dirac states and an s-wave superconductor is expected to support Majorana-bound states (MBS) that can be used for quantum computing applications. Realizing these novel states of matter and their applications requires control over superconductivity and spin-orbit coupling to achieve spin-momentum-locked topological interface states (TIS) which are simultaneously superconducting. A team of researchers in the US (Oak Ridge National Laboratory, Rutgers State University of New Jersey) have shown superconductivity in monolayer (ML) FeTe1–ySey (Fe(Te,Se)) grown on Bi2Te3 by molecular beam epitaxy (MBE). Spin and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (SARPES) directly resolved the interfacial […]
Characterizing the materials for next-generation quantum computers with nonlinear optical spectroscopy
Phys.org July 1, 2022 An international team of researchers (Germany, UC Irvine) developed a microscopic theory for the 2D spectroscopy of one-dimensional topological superconductors. They considered a ring geometry of an archetypal topological superconductor with periodic boundary conditions, bypassing energy-specific differences caused by topologically protected or trivial boundary modes that are hard to distinguish. They showed numerically and analytically that the cross-peak structure of the 2D spectra carries unique signatures of the topological phases of the chain. According to the researchers their work reveals how 2D spectroscopy can identify topological phases in bulk properties…read more. TECHNICAL ARTICLE
Discovery of a mechanism for making superconductors more resistant to magnetic fields
Phys.org March 30, 2021 Researchers in Japan discovered that when the crystalline films of indium is thinned to a two-dimensional atomic layer, the spin, and the momentum of the electrons in the layer are coupled, causing the electron spins to frequently rotate. This offsets the effect of the changes in electronic energy induced by the magnetic field and thus preserves superconductivity. This mechanism can enhance the critical magnetic field up to 16-20 Tesla, which is approximately triple the generally accepted theoretical value. It is expected to have a wide range of applications as it was observed for an ordinary superconducting […]