Anomalous Josephson current via Majorana bound states in topological insulators

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel setup using Majorana bound states in topological insulators to generate an anomalous 4π-periodic supercurrent, revealing new quantum transport phenomena related to topological states.

Contribution

It introduces a new experimental configuration for observing Majorana bound states via a vortex in a topological insulator, and calculates the resulting anomalous supercurrent behavior.

Findings

Demonstrates a 4π-periodic dependence of MBS energies on phase difference

Calculates the shape of the anomalous supercurrent I_a(φ)

Shows how the supercurrent amplitude depends on temperature and system parameters

Abstract

We propose a setup involving Majorana bound states (MBS) hosted by a vortex on a superconducting surface of a 3D Topological Insulator (TI). We consider a narrow channel drilled across a TI slab with both sides covered by s-wave superconductor. In the presence of a vortex pinned to such a channel, it acts as a ballistic nanowire connecting the superconducting surfaces, with a pair of MBS localized in it. The energies of the MBS possess a 4\pi-periodic dependence on the superconductive phase difference \phi between the surfaces. It results in the appearence of an anomalous term in the current-phase relation, I_a(\phi) for the supercurrent flowing along the channel between the superconductive surfaces. We have calculated the shape of the 4\pi-periodic function I_a(\phi), as well as the dependence of its amplitude on temperature and system parameters.