Long-range focusing of magnetic bound states in superconducting lanthanum

Howon Kim (), Levente Rózsa, Dominik Schreyer, Eszter Simon and Roland Wiesendanger ()
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Howon Kim: University of Hamburg
Levente Rózsa: University of Hamburg
Dominik Schreyer: University of Hamburg
Eszter Simon: Budapest University of Technology and Economics
Roland Wiesendanger: University of Hamburg

Nature Communications, 2020, vol. 11, issue 1, 1-8

Abstract: Abstract Quantum mechanical systems with long-range interactions between quasiparticles provide a promising platform for coherent quantum information technology. Superconductors are a natural choice for solid-state based quantum devices, while magnetic impurities inside superconductors give rise to quasiparticle excitations of broken Cooper pairs that provide characteristic information about the host superconductor. Here, we reveal that magnetic impurities embedded below a superconducting La(0001) surface interact via quasiparticles extending to very large distances, up to several tens of nanometers. Using low-temperature scanning probe techniques, we observe the corresponding anisotropic and giant oscillations in the LDOS. Theoretical calculations indicate that the quasi-two-dimensional surface states with their strongly anisotropic Fermi surface play a crucial role for the focusing and long-range extension of the magnetic bound states. The quasiparticle focusing mechanism should facilitate the design of versatile magnetic structures with tunable and directed magnetic interactions over large distances, thereby paving the way toward the design of low-dimensional magnet–superconductor hybrid systems exhibiting topologically non-trivial quantum states as possible elements of quantum computation schemes based on Majorana quasiparticles.

Date: 2020
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-020-18406-8

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