Possible realization of a chiral p-wave paired state in a two component system

TL;DR

This paper provides theoretical evidence that a two-component composite fermion system can realize a chiral p-wave paired state, potentially supporting Majorana modes, at specific filling factors in GaAs and graphene under certain conditions.

Contribution

It introduces a model showing that screened interactions in a two-component composite fermion system can produce a p-wave paired state described by the anti-Pfaffian wave function.

Findings

Predicted realization of p-wave paired state at ν=3/8 or 13/8 in GaAs.

Predicted realization at ν=±3/8 or ±13/8 in graphene.

Conditions include small Zeeman or valley splitting.

Abstract

There is much interest in the realization of systems with p-wave pairing in one dimension or chiral p-wave pairing in two dimensions, because these are believed to support Majorana modes at the ends or inside vortices. We consider a two component system of composite fermions and provide theoretical evidence that, under appropriate conditions, the screened interaction between the minority composite fermions is such as to produce an almost exact realization of p-wave paired state described by the so-called anti-Pfaffian wave function. This state is predicted to occur at filling $\nu=3/8$ or 13/8 in GaAs when the Zeeman energy is sufficiently small, and at $\nu=\pm 3/8$ or $\pm 13/8$ in single layer graphene when either the Zeeman or the valley splitting is sufficiently small.