2014/08/26 by Björn Zocher, Bernd Rosenow
Mathematics · Physics and Astronomy · #Condensed matter physics #MAJORANA #Magnetic field #Mathematics #Physics #Physics of Superconductivity and Magnetism #Quantum Hall effect #Quantum many-body systems #Quantum mechanics #Saddle #Superconductivity #Topological Materials and Phenomena #Topology (electrical circuits) #Vortex #cond-mat.mes-hall
paper · pdf · doi:10.1103/physrevb.93.214504
published as Phys. Rev. B 93, 214504 (2016) · 4.5 pages, 3 figures
arxiv created 2014/08/26 · openalex publication_date 2016/06/09 · arxiv updated 2016/06/15 · openalex created_date 2016/06/24 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
We develop a scenario to engineer a topological phase with Majorana edge states based on an integer quantum Hall (QH) system proximity coupled to a superconductor (SC). Due to the vortices in the SC order parameter, the SC--QH hybrid system is described by a Bloch problem with ten unpaired momenta, corresponding to the maxima and saddle points of the SC order parameter. For external potentials respecting the symmetry of the vortex lattice, the states with unpaired momenta have degeneracies such that the system always is in a trivial phase. However, an incommensurate potential can lift the degeneracies and drive the system into a topologically nontrivial phase.