Generic quantized zero-bias conductance peaks in superconductor-semiconductor hybrid structures

Haining Pan, William S. Cole, Jay D. Sau, and S. Das Sarma
Phys. Rev. B 101, 024506 – Published 8 January 2020

Abstract

We show theoretically that quantized zero-bias conductance peaks should be ubiquitous in superconductor-semiconductor hybrids by employing a zero-dimensional random matrix model with continuous tuning parameters. We demonstrate that a normal metal-superconductor (NS) junction conductance spectra can be generically obtained in this model replicating all features seen in recent experimental results. The theoretical quantized conductance peaks, which explicitly do not arise from spatially isolated Majorana zero modes, are easily found by preparing a contour plot of conductance over several independent tuning parameters, mimicking the effect of Zeeman splitting and voltages on gates near the junction. This suggests that, even stable apparently quantized conductance peaks need not correspond to isolated Majorana modes; rather, the a priori expectation should be that such quantized peaks generically occupy a significant fraction of the high-dimensional tuning parameter space that characterizes the NS tunneling experiments.

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  • Received 28 June 2019

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.101.024506

©2020 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Haining Pan, William S. Cole, Jay D. Sau, and S. Das Sarma

  • Department of Physics, Condensed Matter Theory Center, Joint Quantum Institute, University of Maryland, College Park, Maryland 20742, USA

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Issue

Vol. 101, Iss. 2 — 1 January 2020

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