Helical Liquids and Majorana Bound States in Quantum Wires

Yuval Oreg, Gil Refael, and Felix von Oppen
Phys. Rev. Lett. 105, 177002 – Published 20 October 2010

Abstract

We show that the combination of spin-orbit coupling with a Zeeman field or strong interactions may lead to the formation of a helical electron liquid in single-channel quantum wires, with spin and velocity perfectly correlated. We argue that zero-energy Majorana bound states are formed in various situations when such wires are situated in proximity to a conventional s-wave superconductor. This occurs when the external magnetic field, the superconducting gap, or, most simply, the chemical potential vary along the wire. These Majorana states do not require the presence of a vortex in the system. Experimental consequences of the helical liquid and the Majorana states are also discussed.

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  • Received 16 March 2010

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.177002

© 2010 The American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

Yuval Oreg1, Gil Refael2, and Felix von Oppen3

  • 1Department of Condensed Matter Physics, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, 76100, Israel
  • 2Department of Physics, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California 91125, USA
  • 3Dahlem Center for Complex Quantum Systems and Fachbereich Physik, Freie Universität Berlin, 14195 Berlin, Germany

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Issue

Vol. 105, Iss. 17 — 22 October 2010

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