Conversion of a Conventional Superconductor into a Topological Superconductor by Topological Proximity Effect

Overview

Journal Nat Commun

Specialty Biology

Date 2020 Jan 11

PMID 31919356

Citations 7

Authors

C X Trang

N Shimamura

K Nakayama

S Souma

K Sugawara

I Watanabe

K Yamauchi

T Oguchi

K Segawa

T Takahashi

Yoichi Ando

T Sato

Affiliations

Soon will be listed here.

Abstract

Realization of topological superconductors (TSCs) hosting Majorana fermions is a central challenge in condensed-matter physics. One approach is to use the superconducting proximity effect (SPE) in heterostructures, where a topological insulator contacted with a superconductor hosts an effective p-wave pairing by the penetration of Cooper pairs across the interface. However, this approach suffers a difficulty in accessing the topological interface buried deep beneath the surface. Here, we propose an alternative approach to realize topological superconductivity without SPE. In a Pb(111) thin film grown on TlBiSe, we discover that the Dirac-cone state of substrate TlBiSe migrates to the top surface of Pb film and obtains an energy gap below the superconducting transition temperature of Pb. This suggests that a Bardeen-Cooper-Schrieffer superconductor is converted into a TSC by the topological proximity effect. Our discovery opens a route to manipulate topological superconducting properties of materials.

Citing Articles

Topological Fermi-arc surface state covered by floating electrons on a two-dimensional electride.

Lim C, Kim M, Lim D, Kim S, Lee Y, Cha J Nat Commun. 2024; 15(1):5615.

PMID: 38965217 PMC: 11224405. DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-49841-6.

Topological Quantum Well States in Pb/Sb Thin-Film Heterostructures.

Li Y, Chan Y, Hlevyack J, Bowers J, Chou M, Chiang T ACS Nano. 2024; 18(14):10243-10248.

PMID: 38530641 PMC: 11008363. DOI: 10.1021/acsnano.4c00724.

Topological Superconductors from a Materials Perspective.

Mandal M, Drucker N, Siriviboon P, Nguyen T, Boonkird A, Lamichhane T Chem Mater. 2023; 35(16):6184-6200.

PMID: 37637011 PMC: 10448998. DOI: 10.1021/acs.chemmater.3c00713.

Investigations of proximity-induced superconductivity in the topological insulator BiTe by microRaman spectroscopy.

Kiphart D, Harkavyi Y, Balin K, Szade J, Mroz B, Kuswik P Sci Rep. 2021; 11(1):22980.

PMID: 34837028 PMC: 8626455. DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-02475-w.

New Dimension in Magnetism and Superconductivity: 3D and Curvilinear Nanoarchitectures.

Makarov D, Volkov O, Kakay A, Pylypovskyi O, Budinska B, Dobrovolskiy O Adv Mater. 2021; 34(3):e2101758.

PMID: 34705309 PMC: 11469131. DOI: 10.1002/adma.202101758.

References

Qin S, Kim J, Niu Q, Shih C . Superconductivity at the two-dimensional limit. Science. 2009; 324(5932):1314-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1170775. View

Shoman T, Takayama A, Sato T, Souma S, Takahashi T, Oguchi T . Topological proximity effect in a topological insulator hybrid. Nat Commun. 2015; 6:6547. DOI: 10.1038/ncomms7547. View

Chen Y, Liu Z, Analytis J, Chu J, Zhang H, Yan B . Single Dirac cone topological surface state and unusual thermoelectric property of compounds from a new topological insulator family. Phys Rev Lett. 2011; 105(26):266401. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.266401. View

Flototto D, Ota Y, Bai Y, Zhang C, Okazaki K, Tsuzuki A . Superconducting pairing of topological surface states in bismuth selenide films on niobium. Sci Adv. 2018; 4(4):eaar7214. PMC: 5922797. DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.aar7214. View

Zhang Y, Jia J, Han T, Tang Z, Shen Q, Guo Y . Band structure and oscillatory electron-phonon coupling of Pb thin films determined by atomic-layer-resolved quantum-well states. Phys Rev Lett. 2005; 95(9):096802. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.95.096802. View

Wang M, Liu C, Xu J, Yang F, Miao L, Yao M . The coexistence of superconductivity and topological order in the Bi₂Se₃ thin films. Science. 2012; 336(6077):52-5. DOI: 10.1126/science.1216466. View

Alicea J . New directions in the pursuit of Majorana fermions in solid state systems. Rep Prog Phys. 2012; 75(7):076501. DOI: 10.1088/0034-4885/75/7/076501. View

Fu L, Kane C . Superconducting proximity effect and majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator. Phys Rev Lett. 2008; 100(9):096407. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.096407. View

Hor Y, Williams A, Checkelsky J, Roushan P, Seo J, Xu Q . Superconductivity in CuxBi2Se3 and its implications for pairing in the undoped topological insulator. Phys Rev Lett. 2010; 104(5):057001. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.104.057001. View

10.

Chainani , Yokoya , Kiss , Shin . Photoemission spectroscopy of the strong-coupling superconducting transitions in lead and niobium. Phys Rev Lett. 2000; 85(9):1966-9. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.85.1966. View

11.

Nadj-Perge S, Drozdov I, Li J, Chen H, Jeon S, Seo J . Topological matter. Observation of Majorana fermions in ferromagnetic atomic chains on a superconductor. Science. 2014; 346(6209):602-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1259327. View

12.

Upton M, Wei C, Chou M, Miller T, Chiang T . Thermal stability and electronic structure of atomically uniform Pb films on Si(111). Phys Rev Lett. 2004; 93(2):026802. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.93.026802. View

13.

Deng M, Vaitiekenas S, HANSEN E, Danon J, Leijnse M, Flensberg K . Majorana bound state in a coupled quantum-dot hybrid-nanowire system. Science. 2016; 354(6319):1557-1562. DOI: 10.1126/science.aaf3961. View

14.

Sun H, Wang M, Zhu F, Wang G, Ma H, Xu Z . Coexistence of Topological Edge State and Superconductivity in Bismuth Ultrathin Film. Nano Lett. 2017; 17(5):3035-3039. DOI: 10.1021/acs.nanolett.7b00365. View

15.

Kresse , Furthmuller . Efficient iterative schemes for ab initio total-energy calculations using a plane-wave basis set. Phys Rev B Condens Matter. 1996; 54(16):11169-11186. DOI: 10.1103/physrevb.54.11169. View

16.

Kuroda K, Ye M, Kimura A, Eremeev S, Krasovskii E, Chulkov E . Experimental realization of a three-dimensional topological insulator phase in ternary chalcogenide TlBiSe₂. Phys Rev Lett. 2011; 105(14):146801. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.146801. View

17.

Sato M, Ando Y . Topological superconductors: a review. Rep Prog Phys. 2017; 80(7):076501. DOI: 10.1088/1361-6633/aa6ac7. View

18.

Sato T, Segawa K, Guo H, Sugawara K, Souma S, Takahashi T . Direct evidence for the dirac-cone topological surface states in the ternary chalcogenide TlBiSe₂. Phys Rev Lett. 2011; 105(13):136802. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.105.136802. View

19.

Perdew , Burke , Ernzerhof . Generalized Gradient Approximation Made Simple. Phys Rev Lett. 1996; 77(18):3865-3868. DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.77.3865. View

20.

Mourik V, Zuo K, Frolov S, Plissard S, Bakkers E, Kouwenhoven L . Signatures of Majorana fermions in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowire devices. Science. 2012; 336(6084):1003-7. DOI: 10.1126/science.1222360. View