Topological Kondo Effect with Majorana Fermions

B. Béri and N. R. Cooper
Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 156803 – Published 9 October 2012
PDFHTMLExport Citation

Abstract

The Kondo effect is a striking consequence of the coupling of itinerant electrons to a quantum spin with degenerate energy levels. While degeneracies are commonly thought to arise from symmetries or fine-tuning of parameters, the recent emergence of Majorana fermions has brought to the fore an entirely different possibility: a topological degeneracy that arises from the nonlocal character of Majorana fermions. Here we show that nonlocal quantum spins formed from these degrees of freedom give rise to a novel topological Kondo effect. This leads to a robust non-Fermi liquid behavior, known to be difficult to achieve in the conventional Kondo context. Focusing on mesoscopic superconductor devices, we predict several unique transport signatures of this Kondo effect, which would demonstrate the nonlocal quantum dynamics of Majorana fermions and validate their potential for topological quantum computation.

  • Figure
  • Figure
  • Received 26 July 2012

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.109.156803

© 2012 American Physical Society

Authors & Affiliations

B. Béri and N. R. Cooper

  • TCM Group, Cavendish Laboratory, University of Cambridge, J. J. Thomson Avenue, Cambridge CB3 0HE, United Kingdom

Article Text (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

Supplemental Material (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand

References (Subscription Required)

Click to Expand
Issue

Vol. 109, Iss. 15 — 12 October 2012

Reuse & Permissions
Access Options
Author publication services for translation and copyediting assistance advertisement

Authorization Required


×
×

Images

×

Sign up to receive regular email alerts from Physical Review Letters

Log In

Cancel
×

Search


Article Lookup

Paste a citation or DOI

Enter a citation
×