Optimizing proximitized magnetic topological insulator nanoribbons for Majorana bound states

TL;DR

This paper identifies optimal conditions for creating robust Majorana bound states in proximitized magnetic topological insulator nanoribbons, considering disorder, surface state hybridization, and electron-hole asymmetry.

Contribution

It introduces a figure of merit for topological superconducting gaps and provides numerical analysis of conditions favoring stable MBS in thin-film magnetic topological insulators.

Findings

Normal insulator MTI thin films are favorable.

Electron-hole asymmetry affects MBS stability above/below Dirac point.

Magnetization should match hybridization or confinement energy.

Abstract

Heterostructures comprised of a magnetic topological insulator (MTI) placed in the proximity of an $s$-wave superconductor have emerged as a platform for the practical realization of Majorana bound states (MBSs). More specifically, it has been theoretically predicted that MBS can appear in proximitized MTI nanoribbons (PNRs) in the quantum anomalous Hall regime. As with all MBS platforms, disorder and device imperfections can be detrimental to the formation of robust and well-separated MBSs that are suitable for fusion and braiding experiments. Here, we identify the optimal conditions for obtaining a topological superconducting gap that is robust against disorder, with spatially separated stable MBSs in PNRs, and introduce a figure of merit that encompasses these conditions. Particular attention is given to the thin-film limit of magnetic topological insulators (MTIs), where the hybridization of the surface states cannot be neglected, and to the role of electron-hole asymmetry in the low-energy physics of the system. Based on our numerical results, we find that (1) MTI thin films that are normal (rather than quantum spin Hall) insulators for zero magnetization are favorable, (2) strong electron-hole asymmetry causes the stability and robustness of MBS to be very different for chemical potentials above or below the Dirac point, and (3) the magnetization strength should preferably be comparable to the hybridization or confinement energy of the surface states, whichever is largest.