Probing Majorana Bound States via Thermoelectric Transport

TL;DR

This paper proposes thermoelectric experiments using Aharonov-Bohm interferometry to detect and characterize Majorana bound states in topological insulators by analyzing charge and heat transport properties.

Contribution

It introduces a novel experimental approach to probe Majorana bound states through thermoelectric measurements in a topological insulator setup.

Findings

Thermoelectric coefficients reveal the presence and nature of MBS.

Violations of Wiedemann-Franz law indicate Majorana states.

Behavior of transport coefficients depends on Fermi energy and magnetic flux.

Abstract

We propose a set of thermoelectric experiments based on Aharonov-Bohm interferometry to probe Majorana bound states (MBS), which are generated in 2D topological insulators (TI) in the presence of superconducting and ferromagnetic correlations via the proximity effect. The existence and nature (coupled or uncoupled) of these MBS can be determined by studying the charge and heat transport, specifically, the behavior of various thermoelectric coefficients like the Seebeck coefficient, Peltier coefficient, thermal conductance, and violations of Wiedemann-Franz law as a function of the Fermi energy and Aharonov-Bohm flux piercing the TI ring with the embedded MBS.