Topological superconductivity in a magnetic-texture coupled Josephson junction

TL;DR

This paper proposes a novel Josephson junction setup with a magnetic-textured barrier that can host topological superconductivity without relying on spin-orbit coupling or external magnetic fields, enabling more robust quantum devices.

Contribution

It introduces a new method to realize topological superconductivity using magnetic textures in Josephson junctions, avoiding the need for intrinsic spin-orbit coupling or external magnetic fields.

Findings

Topological phase depends on the magnetization magnitude and period.

Superconducting phase controls the topological transition.

Topological transition causes a sharp supercurrent suppression.

Abstract

Topological superconductors are appealing building blocks for robust and reliable quantum information processing. Most platforms for engineering topological superconductivity rely on a combination of superconductors, materials with intrinsic strong spin-orbit coupling, and external magnetic fields, detrimental for superconductivity. We propose a setup where a conventional Josephson junction is linked via a magnetic-textured barrier. Antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic insulators with periodically arranged domains are compatible with our proposal which does not require intrinsic spin-orbit or external magnetic fields. We find that the topological phase depends on the magnitude and period of the barrier magnetization. The superconducting phase controls the topological transition, which could be detected as a sharp suppression of the supercurrent across the junction.