Majorana Zero Mode Detected with Spin Selective Andreev Reflection in the Vortex of a Topological Superconductor

Hao-Hua Sun, Kai-Wen Zhang, Lun-Hui Hu, Chuang Li, Guan-Yong Wang, Hai-Yang Ma, Zhu-An Xu, Chun-Lei Gao, Dan-Dan Guan, Yao-Yi Li, Canhua Liu, Dong Qian, Yi Zhou, Liang Fu, Shao-Chun Li, Fu-Chun Zhang, and Jin-Feng Jia
Phys. Rev. Lett. 116, 257003 – Published 21 June 2016

Abstract

Recently, theory has predicted a Majorana zero mode (MZM) to induce spin selective Andreev reflection (SSAR), a novel magnetic property which can be used to detect the MZM. Here, spin-polarized scanning tunneling microscopy or spectroscopy has been applied to probe SSAR of MZMs in a topological superconductor of the Bi2Te3/NbSe2 heterostructure. The zero-bias peak of the tunneling differential conductance at the vortex center is observed substantially higher when the tip polarization and the external magnetic field are parallel rather than antiparallel to each other. This spin dependent tunneling effect provides direct evidence of MZM and reveals its magnetic property in addition to the zero energy modes. Our work will stimulate MZM research on these novel physical properties and, hence, is a step towards experimental study of their statistics and application in quantum computing.

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  • Received 5 April 2016

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.116.257003

© 2016 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Hao-Hua Sun1, Kai-Wen Zhang2, Lun-Hui Hu3,4, Chuang Li3,4, Guan-Yong Wang1, Hai-Yang Ma1, Zhu-An Xu3,4, Chun-Lei Gao1,4, Dan-Dan Guan1,4, Yao-Yi Li1,4, Canhua Liu1,4, Dong Qian1,4, Yi Zhou3,4, Liang Fu5, Shao-Chun Li2,4,*, Fu-Chun Zhang3,4,†, and Jin-Feng Jia1,4,‡

  • 1Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control (Ministry of Education), Department of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China
  • 2National Laboratory of Solid State Microstructures and School of Physics, Nanjing University, Nanjing 210093, China
  • 3Department of Physics, Zhejiang University, Hangzhou 310027, Zhejiang, China
  • 4Collaborative Innovation Center of Advanced Microstructures, Nanjing 210093, China
  • 5Department of Physics, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge, Massachusetts 02139-4307, USA

  • *Corresponding author. scli@nju.edu.cn
  • Corresponding author. fuchun@zju.edu.cn
  • Corresponding author. jfjia@sjtu.edu.cn

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Issue

Vol. 116, Iss. 25 — 24 June 2016

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