2010

Observing Majorana bound states of Josephson vortices in topological superconductors

Grosfeld, Eytan, Stern, Ady

Understand

In recent years there has been an intensive search for Majorana fermion states in condensed matter systems.

Predicted to be localized on cores of vortices in certain non-conventional superconductors, their presence is known to render the exchange statistics of bulk vortices non-Abelian.
Here we study the equations governing the dynamics of phase solitons (fluxons) in a long Josephson junction in a topological superconductor.
We show that the fluxon will bind a localized zero energy Majorana mode and will consequently behave as a non-Abelian anyon.

Built on

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McLaughlin, D. W. & Scott, A. C · 1978
Earlier work this paper cites.
Topological quantum effects for neutral particles
Aharonov, Y. & Casher, A · 1984
Earlier work this paper cites.
Question of the nonlocality of the Aharonov-Casher effect
Reznik, B. & Aharonov, Y · 1989
Earlier work this paper cites.
Aharonov-Bohm-type effect for vortices in Josephson-junction arrays
van Wees, B. J · 1990
Earlier work this paper cites.
Nonabelions in the fractional quantum hall effect
Moore, G. & Read, N · 1991
Earlier work this paper cites.
Mutual friction in superfluid He-3: Effects of bound states in the vortex core
Kopnin, N. B. & Salomaa, M. M · 1991
Earlier work this paper cites.
Quantum dynamics of a fluxon in a long circular Josephson junction
Hermon, Z., Stern, A. & Ben-Jacob, E · 1994
Earlier work this paper cites.
The Aharonov-Casher effect for vortices in Josephson-junction arrays
Elion, W. J., Wachters, J. J., Sohn, L. L. & Mooij, J. E · 1994
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Dephasing length and coherence of a quantum soliton in an ideal long josephson junction
Hermon, Z., Shnirman, A. & Ben-Jacob, E · 1995
Earlier work this paper cites.
2n-quasihole states realize 2 n − 1 2^{n-1} -dimensional spinor braiding statistics in paired quantum Hall states
Nayak, C. & Wilczek, F · 1996
Earlier work this paper cites.
Tunneling and resonant tunneling of fluxons in a long Josephson junction
Shnirman, A., Ben-Jacob, E. & Malomed, B · 1997
Earlier work this paper cites.

Similar

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Then

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Ilan, R., Grosfeld, E. & Stern, A · 2008
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Superconducting proximity effect and majorana fermions at the surface of a topological insulator
Fu, L. & Kane, C. L · 2008
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Electron Teleportation via Majorana Bound States in a Mesoscopic Superconductor
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Observation of Half-Height Magnetization Steps in Sr 2 RuO 4
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