Symmetry protected vortex bound state in superfluid $^3$He B-phase

TL;DR

This paper investigates symmetry-protected Majorana zero modes in vortices of superfluid $^3$He B-phase, revealing how specific spatial symmetries safeguard zero-energy states and proposing experimental methods to realize these modes.

Contribution

It demonstrates the role of spatial symmetries, especially $P_3$, in protecting Majorana zero modes in superfluid $^3$He vortices, and suggests experimental setups to observe these states.

Findings

$P_3$ symmetry protects two-fold degenerate Majorana zero modes.

Symmetric $o$ and $w$ vortices host protected zero modes.

Breaking axial symmetry gaps out zero modes in $v$ vortex.

Abstract

The superfluid $^3$He formed by spin-triplet $p$-wave Cooper pairs is a typical topological superfluid. In the superfluid $^3$He B-phase, several kinds of vortices classified by spatial symmetries $P_1$, $P_2$, and $P_3$ are produced, where $P_1$ is inversion symmetry, $P_2$ is magnetic reflection symmetry, and $P_3$ is magnetic $\pi$-rotation symmetry. We have calculated the vortex bound states by the Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory and the quasiclassical Eilenberger theory, and also clarified symmetry protection of the low energy excitations by the spatial symmetries. On the symmetry protection, $P_3$ symmetry plays a key role which gives two-fold degenerate Majorana zero modes. Then, the bound states in the most symmetric $o$ vortex with $P_1$, $P_2$, and $P_3$ symmetries and in $w$ vortex with $P_3$ symmetry have the symmetry protected degenerate Majorana zero modes. On the other hand, zero energy modes in $v$ vortex, which is believed to be realized in the actual B-phase, are not protected, and in consequence become gapped by breaking axial symmetry. The excitation gap may have been observed as the variation of critical velocity. We have also suggested an experimental setup to create $o$ vortex with Majorana zero modes by a confinement and a magnetic field.