Magnus effect on a Majorana zero mode

Physical review. B./Physical review. B, vol. 107

Abstract

A supercurrent on the proximitized surface of a topological insulator can cause a delocalization transition of a Majorana fermion bound to a vortex core as a zero mode. Here we study the dynamics of the deconfinement, as a manifestation of the Magnus effect (the coupling of the superflow to the velocity field in the vortex). The initial acceleration of the Majorana fermion is $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2{v}_{\mathrm{F}}^{2}K/\ensuremath{\hbar}$, perpendicular to the Cooper pair momentum $\mathbit{K}$, for a $\ifmmode\pm\else\textpm\fi{}2\ensuremath{\pi}$ winding of the superconducting phase around the vortex. The quasiparticle escapes with a constant velocity from the vortex core, which we calculate in a semiclassical approximation and compare with computer simulations.

Authors 5

1. G. Lemut Aachen Instituut-Lorentz

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

2. M. J. Pacholski Aachen Instituut-Lorentz

   Leiden University · Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

   Max Planck Institute for the Physics of Complex Systems, Nöthnitzer Strasse 38, 01187 Dresden, Germany

3. Stephan Plugge Aachen Instituut-Lorentz

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

4. C. W. J. Beenakker Aachen Instituut-Lorentz

   Leiden University

   Affiliation as printed

   Instituut-Lorentz, Universiteit Leiden, P.O. Box 9506, 2300 RA Leiden, The Netherlands

5. İnanç Adagideli

   Sabancı Üniversitesi · Türkiye Bilimsel ve Teknolojik Araştırma Kurumu · University of Twente

   Affiliation as printed

   Faculty of Engineering and Natural Sciences, Sabanci University, Orhanli-Tuzla, Istanbul, Turkey

   MESA+ Institute for Nanotechnology, University of Twente, 7500 AE Enschede, The Netherlands

   TÜBİTAK Research Institute for Fundamental Sciences, 41470 Gebze, Turkey