We analyze the influence of dimerization on the topological phases of a Rashba nanowire proximitized to a superconducting substrate. We find that periodic alternations of the hopping integral and spin-orbit coupling can lead to band inversion, inducing a transition to the topologically nontrivial superconducting phase that hosts Majorana zero-energy modes. This “dimerization-induced topological superconductivity” completely repels the topological phase of the uniform nanowire, whenever they happen to overlap. We provide an analytical justification for this puzzling behavior based on symmetry and parity considerations, and discuss feasible spectroscopic methods for its observation. We also test stability of the topological superconducting phases against electrostatic disorder.

• Received 2 October 2019
• Revised 7 January 2020
• Accepted 7 January 2020

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.101.085402