Sizable superconducting gap and anisotropic chiral topological superconductivity in the Weyl semimetal PtBi$_2$

TL;DR

This study demonstrates sizable, uniform superconducting gaps in PtBi$_2$, revealing topological surface states and chiral pairing symmetry, making it a promising platform for Majorana-based quantum computing.

Contribution

The paper provides direct experimental evidence of large, uniform superconducting gaps and topological surface states in PtBi$_2$, with theoretical support for anisotropic chiral pairing symmetry.

Findings

Superconducting gap > 10 meV with spatial uniformity

Observation of low-energy Andreev bound states

Theoretical confirmation of topological, chiral pairing symmetry

Abstract

Topological superconductors offer a fertile ground for realizing Majorana zero modes -- topologically protected, zero-energy quasiparticles that are resilient to local perturbations and hold great promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. Recent studies have presented encouraging evidence for intrinsic topological superconductivity in the Weyl semimetal trigonal PtBi$_2$, hinting at a robust surface phase potentially stable beyond the McMillan limit. However, due to substantial spatial variations in the observed superconducting (SC) gap $\Delta$ the nature of the underlying order parameter $\Delta$($k$) remained under debate. Here we report the realization of sizable surface SC gaps ($\Delta > 10\,\mathrm{meV}$) in PtBi$_2$, exhibiting remarkable spatial uniformity from hundreds of nanometers down to the atomic level, as revealed by scanning tunneling microscopy and spectroscopy. Building on this spatial homogeneity -- indicative of long-range phase coherence -- we uncover previously unobserved low-energy Andreev bound states (ABSs) that ubiquitously emerge within the SC gap across the surface. Theoretical simulations that closely reproduce the experimental spectra, reveal an anisotropic chiral pairing symmetry of $\Delta$($k$), and further suggest that the observed ABSs are of topological origin. The combination of a large, nontrivial pairing gap and accessible surface states establishes PtBi$_2$ as a compelling platform for investigating topological superconductivity and its associated Majorana modes.