Majorana zero modes in impurity-assisted vortex of LiFeAs superconductor

Lingyuan Kong, Lu Cao, Shiyu Zhu, Michał Papaj, Guangyang Dai, Geng Li, Peng Fan, Wenyao Liu, Fazhi Yang, Xiancheng Wang, Shixuan Du, Changqing Jin, Liang Fu, Hong-Jun Gao () and Hong Ding ()
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Lingyuan Kong: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lu Cao: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shiyu Zhu: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Michał Papaj: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Guangyang Dai: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Geng Li: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Peng Fan: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wenyao Liu: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fazhi Yang: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Xiancheng Wang: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shixuan Du: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Changqing Jin: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Liang Fu: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Cambridge
Hong-Jun Gao: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hong Ding: Beijing National Laboratory for Condensed Matter Physics and Institute of Physics, Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-11

Abstract: Abstract The iron-based superconductor is emerging as a promising platform for Majorana zero mode, which can be used to implement topological quantum computation. One of the most significant advances of this platform is the appearance of large vortex level spacing that strongly protects Majorana zero mode from other low-lying quasiparticles. Despite the advantages in the context of physics research, the inhomogeneity of various aspects hampers the practical construction of topological qubits in the compounds studied so far. Here we show that the stoichiometric superconductor LiFeAs is a good candidate to overcome this obstacle. By using scanning tunneling microscopy, we discover that the Majorana zero modes, which are absent on the natural clean surface, can appear in vortices influenced by native impurities. Our detailed analysis reveals a new mechanism for the emergence of those Majorana zero modes, i.e. native tuning of bulk Dirac fermions. The discovery of Majorana zero modes in this homogeneous material, with a promise of tunability, offers an ideal material platform for manipulating and braiding Majorana zero modes, pushing one step forward towards topological quantum computation.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-24372-6

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