Abstract
Distinguishing the zero-bias peak (ZBP) caused by Majorana fermions from that caused by other effects remains a challenge in detecting the topological superconducting phase in a quantum wire. In this paper, we show that one can distinguish Majorana fermions from the trivial zero-energy Andreev bound states caused by impurities in the material by making a Josephson junction of the quantum wire attached to a side lead and then measuring the tunneling conductance through it as the phase difference across the junction varies. We calculate the tunneling conductance in the presence of an additional zero-energy impurity level at the Josephson junction. Even if the ZBPs exist in both the topological and trivial phases, we can identify the topological superconducting phase by a conductance peak at and a nearby butterfly pattern.
- Received 27 October 2014
DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.91.224512
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