Effects of finite superconducting coherence lengths and of phase gradients in topological SN and SNS junctions and rings

We study the effect of a finite proximity superconducting (SC) coherence length in SN and SNS junctions consisting of a semiconducting topological insulating wire whose ends are connected to either one or two s-wave superconductors. We find that such systems behave exactly as SN and SNS junctions ma...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B, Condensed matter and materials physics Condensed matter and materials physics, 2013-04, Vol.87 (16), Article 165414
Main Authors: Chevallier, D., Sticlet, D., Simon, P., Bena, C.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Coherence
Condensed matter
Mathematical analysis
Superconductivity
Superconductor junctions
Superconductors
Topology
Wire
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Summary:We study the effect of a finite proximity superconducting (SC) coherence length in SN and SNS junctions consisting of a semiconducting topological insulating wire whose ends are connected to either one or two s-wave superconductors. We find that such systems behave exactly as SN and SNS junctions made from a single wire for which some regions are sitting on top of superconductors, the size of the topological SC region being determined by the SC coherence length. Moreover, we study the effects of continuous phase gradients in both an open and closed (ring) SNS junction. We find that such phase gradients play an important role in the spatial localization of the Majorana fermions.
ISSN:1098-0121
1550-235X
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.87.165414