Vortex with Fractional Quantum Numbers in Chiral p-Wave Superconductor

TL;DR

This paper demonstrates that vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors can carry fractional charge and angular momentum, potentially behaving as anyons with fractional statistics, and discusses their electromagnetic properties.

Contribution

It reveals that vortices in chiral p-wave superconductors possess fractional quantum numbers and may obey fractional statistics, a novel insight into topological excitations.

Findings

Vortices have fractional charge -n e/4.

Vortices have fractional angular momentum -n^2/16.

Electric fields are induced near vortex cores.

Abstract

We show that a vortex in a chiral p-wave superconductor, which has the p_{x}+ i p_{y}-wave pairing state and breaks U(1), parity and time reversal symmetry simultaneously, has fractional charge -{n e}/{4} and fractional angular momentum -n^{2}/{16} (n; vorticity). This suggests that the vortex could be anyon and could obey fractional statistics. Electromagnetic property of the vortex is also discussed and we find that an electric field is induced near the vortex core.