Realizing Majorana Kramers pairs in two-channel InAs-Al nanowires with highly misaligned electric fields

TL;DR

This paper proposes a practical method to realize Majorana Kramers pairs in two-channel InAs-Al nanowires without the need for antiparallel electric fields, enabling field-free topological superconductivity.

Contribution

It introduces a novel scheme that overcomes geometric constraints by using energetic detuning, facilitating experimental realization of Majorana modes.

Findings

Broad parameter range for Majorana zero modes in nanowires

Elimination of antiparallel electric field requirement

Potential for near-term experimental implementation

Abstract

Common proposals for realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes in semiconductor-superconductor hybrids require large magnetic fields, which paradoxically suppress the superconducting gap of the parent superconductor. Although two-channel schemes have been proposed as a way to eliminate magnetic fields, geometric constraints make their implementation challenging, since the channels should be immersed in nearly antiparallel electric fields. Here, we propose an experimentally favorable scheme for realizing field-free topological superconductivity, in two-channel InAs-Al nanowires, that overcomes such growth constraints. Crucially, we show that antiparallel fields are not required, if the channels are energetically detuned. We compute topological phase diagrams for realistically modeled nanowires, finding a broad range of parameters that could potentially harbor Majorana zero modes. This work, therefore, solves a major technical challenge and opens the door to near-term experiments.