Edge modes, edge currents, and gauge invariance in px+ipy superfluids and superconductors

Michael Stone and Rahul Roy
Phys. Rev. B 69, 184511 – Published 28 May 2004
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Abstract

The excitation spectrum of a two-dimensional px+ipy fermionic superfluid, such as a thin film of 3HeA, includes a gapless Majorana-Weyl fermion which is confined to the boundary by Andreev reflection. There is also a persistent ground-state boundary current which provides a droplet containing N particles with angular momentum ħN/2. Both of these boundary effects are associated with bulk Chern-Simons effective actions. We show that the gapless edge mode is required for the gauge invariance of the total effective action, but the same is not true of the boundary current.

  • Received 22 August 2003

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.69.184511

©2004 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Michael Stone*

  • University of Illinois, Department of Physics, 1110 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA

Rahul Roy

  • University of Illinois, Department of Physics, 1110 W. Green Street, Urbana, Illinois 61801, USA

  • *Email address: m-stone5@uiuc. edu
  • Email address: rahulroy@uiuc. edu

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Issue

Vol. 69, Iss. 18 — 1 May 2004

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