Optical absorption of semiconductor 2D Majorana nanowires

TL;DR

This paper investigates the optical absorption characteristics of 2D Majorana nanowires, identifying signatures of Majorana states through specific peaks in the absorption spectrum, which are robust against thermal effects.

Contribution

It introduces a method to detect Majorana states in 2D nanowires via optical absorption spectra, highlighting the significance of polarization-dependent peaks.

Findings

A low energy peak appears for transverse polarization indicating Majorana states.

The peak remains stable despite thermal smearing.

Optical masks influence the absorption signatures.

Abstract

We calculate the cross section for optical absorption of planar 2D Majorana nanowires. Light is described in the dipole approximation. We discuss the signatures on the cross section of a near-zero-energy mode. A low energy peak for transverse polarization, absent in longitudinal one, reveals the presence of the Majorana-like state. This peak is relatively robust against thermal smearing of the level occupations. We consider the influence of optical masks hiding parts of the nanowire from the light.