Observation of magnetic adatom-induced Majorana vortex and its hybridization with field-induced Majorana vortex in an iron-based superconductor

Peng Fan, Fazhi Yang, Guojian Qian, Hui Chen, Yu-Yang Zhang, Geng Li, Zihao Huang, Yuqing Xing, Lingyuan Kong, Wenyao Liu, Kun Jiang, Chengmin Shen, Shixuan Du, John Schneeloch, Ruidan Zhong, Genda Gu, Ziqiang Wang (), Hong Ding () and Hong-Jun Gao ()
Additional contact information
Peng Fan: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Fazhi Yang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Guojian Qian: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hui Chen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yu-Yang Zhang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Geng Li: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Zihao Huang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Yuqing Xing: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Lingyuan Kong: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Wenyao Liu: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Kun Jiang: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Chengmin Shen: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Shixuan Du: Chinese Academy of Sciences
John Schneeloch: Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Ruidan Zhong: Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Genda Gu: Condensed Matter Physics and Materials Science Department, Brookhaven National Laboratory
Ziqiang Wang: Department of Physics, Boston College
Hong Ding: Chinese Academy of Sciences
Hong-Jun Gao: Chinese Academy of Sciences

Nature Communications, 2021, vol. 12, issue 1, 1-7

Abstract: Abstract Braiding Majorana zero modes is essential for fault-tolerant topological quantum computing. Iron-based superconductors with nontrivial band topology have recently emerged as a surprisingly promising platform for creating distinct Majorana zero modes in magnetic vortices in a single material and at relatively high temperatures. The magnetic field-induced Abrikosov vortex lattice makes it difficult to braid a set of Majorana zero modes or to study the coupling of a Majorana doublet due to overlapping wave functions. Here we report the observation of the proposed quantum anomalous vortex with integer quantized vortex core states and the Majorana zero mode induced by magnetic Fe adatoms deposited on the surface. We observe its hybridization with a nearby field-induced Majorana vortex in iron-based superconductor FeTe0.55Se0.45. We also observe vortex-free Yu-Shiba-Rusinov bound states at the Fe adatoms with a weaker coupling to the substrate, and discover a reversible transition between Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states and Majorana zero mode by manipulating the exchange coupling strength. The dual origin of the Majorana zero modes, from magnetic adatoms and external magnetic field, provides a new single-material platform for studying their interactions and braiding in superconductors bearing topological band structures.

Date: 2021
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DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-21646-x

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