Kondo Signatures of a Quantum Magnetic Impurity in Topological Superconductors

TL;DR

This study investigates how magnetic impurities interact with two types of topological superconductors, revealing distinct Kondo effects and signatures that depend on whether the superconductor is intrinsic or extrinsic.

Contribution

It provides a detailed numerical analysis of Kondo physics in topological superconductors, highlighting differences between intrinsic and extrinsic types and predicting unique experimental signatures.

Findings

Extrinsic TSCs exhibit a pseudospin Kondo singlet state.

Intrinsic TSCs support a robust impurity spin doublet ground state.

Distinct spatial spin correlations are observed in different TSC types.

Abstract

We study the Kondo physics of a quantum magnetic impurity in two-dimensional topological superconductors (TSCs), either intrinsic or induced on the surface of a bulk topological insulator, using a numerical renormalization group technique. We show that, despite sharing the p + ip pairing symmetry, intrinsic and extrinsic TSCs host different physical processes that produce distinct Kondo signatures. Extrinsic TSCs harbor an unusual screening mechanism involving both electron and orbital degrees of freedom that produces rich and prominent Kondo phenomena, especially an intriguing pseudospin Kondo singlet state in the superconducting gap and a spatially anisotropic spin correlation. In sharp contrast, intrinsic TSCs support a robust impurity spin doublet ground state and an isotropic spin correlation. These findings advance fundamental knowledge of novel Kondo phenomena in TSCs and suggest experimental avenues for their detection and distinction.