Josephson current between topological and conventional superconductors

We study the stationary Josephson current in a junction between a topological and an ordinary (topologically trivial) superconductor. Such an S-TS junction hosts a Majorana zero mode that significantly influences the current-phase relation. The presence of the Majorana state is intimately related wi...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Physical review. B 2016-03, Vol.93 (12), Article 125435
Main Authors: Ioselevich, P. A., Ostrovsky, P. M., Feigel'man, M. V.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Condensed matter
Scattering
Superconductivity
Superconductor junctions
Superconductors
Symmetry
Texts
Topology
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Summary:We study the stationary Josephson current in a junction between a topological and an ordinary (topologically trivial) superconductor. Such an S-TS junction hosts a Majorana zero mode that significantly influences the current-phase relation. The presence of the Majorana state is intimately related with the breaking of the time-reversal symmetry in the system. We derive a general expression for the supercurrent for a class of short topological junctions in terms of the normal-state scattering matrix. The result is strongly asymmetric with respect to the superconducting gaps in the ordinary ([Delta] sub(0)) and topological ([Delta] sub(top)) leads. We apply the general result to a simple model of a nanowire setup with strong spin-orbit coupling in an external magnetic field and proximity-induced superconductivity. The system shows parametrically strong suppression of the critical current I sub()cProQues t: Formulae and/or non-USASCII text omitted) in the tunneling limit (R sub()Nis the normal-state resistance). This is in strong contrast with the Ambegaokar-Baratoff relation applicable to junctions with preserved time-reversal symmetry. We also consider the case of a generic junction with a random scattering matrix and obtain a more conventional scaling law I sub()cDelta] sub(top)/R sub()N
ISSN:2469-9950
2469-9969
DOI:10.1103/PhysRevB.93.125435