Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction
We consider a two-dimensional electron gas with strong spin-orbit coupling contacted by two superconducting leads, forming a Josephson junction. We show that in the presence of an in-plane Zeeman field, the quasi-one-dimensional region between the two superconductors can support a topological superc...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2017-05-01
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| Series: | Physical Review X |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.7.021032 |
| _version_ | 1818893446842155008 |
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| author | Falko Pientka Anna Keselman Erez Berg Amir Yacoby Ady Stern Bertrand I. Halperin |
| author_facet | Falko Pientka Anna Keselman Erez Berg Amir Yacoby Ady Stern Bertrand I. Halperin |
| author_sort | Falko Pientka |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | We consider a two-dimensional electron gas with strong spin-orbit coupling contacted by two superconducting leads, forming a Josephson junction. We show that in the presence of an in-plane Zeeman field, the quasi-one-dimensional region between the two superconductors can support a topological superconducting phase hosting Majorana bound states at its ends. We study the phase diagram of the system as a function of the Zeeman field and the phase difference between the two superconductors (treated as an externally controlled parameter). Remarkably, at a phase difference of π, the topological phase is obtained for almost any value of the Zeeman field and chemical potential. In a setup where the phase is not controlled externally, we find that the system undergoes a first-order topological phase transition when the Zeeman field is varied. At the transition, the phase difference in the ground state changes abruptly from a value close to zero, at which the system is trivial, to a value close to π, at which the system is topological. The critical current through the junction exhibits a sharp minimum at the critical Zeeman field and is therefore a natural diagnostic of the transition. We point out that in the presence of a symmetry under a mirror reflection followed by time reversal, the system belongs to a higher symmetry class, and the phase diagram as a function of the phase difference and the Zeeman field becomes richer. |
| first_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:12:44Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-bd8338b64ff746a9bf3a780fa3da45ac |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2160-3308 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-12-19T18:12:44Z |
| publishDate | 2017-05-01 |
| publisher | American Physical Society |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Physical Review X |
| spelling | doaj.art-bd8338b64ff746a9bf3a780fa3da45ac2022-12-21T20:11:15ZengAmerican Physical SocietyPhysical Review X2160-33082017-05-017202103210.1103/PhysRevX.7.021032Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson JunctionFalko PientkaAnna KeselmanErez BergAmir YacobyAdy SternBertrand I. HalperinWe consider a two-dimensional electron gas with strong spin-orbit coupling contacted by two superconducting leads, forming a Josephson junction. We show that in the presence of an in-plane Zeeman field, the quasi-one-dimensional region between the two superconductors can support a topological superconducting phase hosting Majorana bound states at its ends. We study the phase diagram of the system as a function of the Zeeman field and the phase difference between the two superconductors (treated as an externally controlled parameter). Remarkably, at a phase difference of π, the topological phase is obtained for almost any value of the Zeeman field and chemical potential. In a setup where the phase is not controlled externally, we find that the system undergoes a first-order topological phase transition when the Zeeman field is varied. At the transition, the phase difference in the ground state changes abruptly from a value close to zero, at which the system is trivial, to a value close to π, at which the system is topological. The critical current through the junction exhibits a sharp minimum at the critical Zeeman field and is therefore a natural diagnostic of the transition. We point out that in the presence of a symmetry under a mirror reflection followed by time reversal, the system belongs to a higher symmetry class, and the phase diagram as a function of the phase difference and the Zeeman field becomes richer.http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.7.021032 |
| spellingShingle | Falko Pientka Anna Keselman Erez Berg Amir Yacoby Ady Stern Bertrand I. Halperin Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction Physical Review X |
| title | Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction |
| title_full | Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction |
| title_fullStr | Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction |
| title_full_unstemmed | Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction |
| title_short | Topological Superconductivity in a Planar Josephson Junction |
| title_sort | topological superconductivity in a planar josephson junction |
| url | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevX.7.021032 |
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