Tomasch Oscillations as Above-Gap Signature of Topological Superconductivity

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel above-gap transport method using Tomasch oscillations to distinguish topological p-wave superconductors from conventional s-wave ones, aiding in their experimental identification.

Contribution

It introduces a new approach based on above-gap conductance oscillations to identify topological superconductivity, highlighting distinct behaviors linked to pairing symmetries.

Findings

Tomasch oscillations vary with interface barriers in s-wave vs p-wave superconductors.

Oscillations weaken with barrier strength in s-wave superconductors.

Oscillations become more pronounced in p-wave superconductors.

Abstract

The identification of topological superconductors usually involves searching for in-gap modes that are protected by topology. However, in the current experimental settings, the smoking-gun evidence of these in-gap modes is still lacking. In this work, we propose to distinguish between two-dimensional conventional s-wave and topological p-wave superconductors by above-gap transport signatures. Our method utilizes the emergence of Tomasch oscillations of quasiparticles in a junction consisting of a superconductor sandwiched between two metallic leads. We demonstrate that the behavior of the oscillations in conductance as a function of the interface barriers provides a distinctive signature for s-wave and p-wave superconductors. Specifically, the oscillations become weaker as the barrier strength increases in s-wave superconductors, while they become more pronounced in p-wave superconductors, which we prove to be a direct manifestation of the pairing symmetries. Our method opens a new route for identifying topological superconductors through above-gap transport.