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

Liang Fu and C. L. Kane
Phys. Rev. Lett. 100, 096407 – Published 6 March 2008

Abstract

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.

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  • Received 11 July 2007

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.096407

©2008 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Liang Fu and C. L. Kane

  • Department of Physics and Astronomy, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA

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Issue

Vol. 100, Iss. 9 — 7 March 2008

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