Majorana bound states in magnetic skyrmions

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that magnetic skyrmions with even azimuthal winding numbers can host zero-energy Majorana bound states when coupled to an s-wave superconductor, with potential for non-Abelian quantum computation.

Contribution

It provides analytical and numerical evidence that magnetic skyrmions can host Majorana bound states, introducing a new platform for topological quantum computing.

Findings

Majorana bound states appear in skyrmions with even azimuthal winding numbers.

Strong exchange coupling and spin-orbit interaction stabilize these Majorana states.

A superconducting tri-junction can be used to realize non-Abelian statistics.

Abstract

Magnetic skyrmions are highly mobile nanoscale topological spin textures. We show, both analytically and numerically, that a magnetic skyrmion of an even azimuthal winding number placed in proximity to an s-wave superconductor hosts a zero-energy Majorana bound state in its core, when the exchange coupling between the itinerant electrons and the skyrmion is strong. This Majorana bound state is stabilized by the presence of a spin-orbit interaction. We propose the use of a superconducting tri-junction to realize non-Abelian statistics of such Majorana bound states.