Topologically protected heat pumping from braiding Majorana zero modes

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that the dynamical manipulation of Majorana zero modes in topological superconductors leads to a universal heat pumping signature, providing a robust transport-based method to identify Majorana modes.

Contribution

It introduces a topologically protected heat pumping signature during Majorana zero mode manipulation, detectable via continuous transport measurements in a two-terminal setup.

Findings

Heat pumped is universal at low temperature and bias.

Signature is robust against temperature and contact coupling.

Provides a transport-based identification method for Majorana modes.

Abstract

Majorana zero modes are non-Abelian quasiparticles that emerge on the edges of topological phases of superconductors. Evidence of their presence has been reported in transport measurements on engineered superconducting-based nanostructures. In this manuscript we identify signatures of a topologically protected dynamical manipulation of Majorana zero modes via continuous transport measurement during the manipulation. Specifically, we show that, in a two-terminal geometry, the heat pumped across the terminals at low temperature and voltage bias is characterized by a universal value. We show that this feature is inherent to the presence of Majorana zero modes and discuss its robustness against temperature, voltage bias and the detailed coupling to the contacts.