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Distinguishing Majorana bound states from localized Andreev bound states by interferometry

Hell, Michael LU ; Flensberg, Karsten and Leijnse, Martin LU (2018) In Physical Review B 97(16).
Abstract

Experimental evidence for Majorana bound states (MBSs) is so far mainly based on the robustness of a zero-bias conductance peak. However, similar features can also arise due to Andreev bound states (ABSs) localized at the end of an island. We show that these two scenarios can be distinguished by an interferometry experiment based on embedding a Coulomb-blockaded island into an Aharonov-Bohm ring. For two ABSs, when the ground state is nearly degenerate, cotunneling can change the state of the island, and interference is suppressed. By contrast, for two MBSs the ground state is nondegenerate, and cotunneling has to preserve the island state, which leads to h/e-periodic conductance oscillations with magnetic flux. Such interference setups... (More)

Experimental evidence for Majorana bound states (MBSs) is so far mainly based on the robustness of a zero-bias conductance peak. However, similar features can also arise due to Andreev bound states (ABSs) localized at the end of an island. We show that these two scenarios can be distinguished by an interferometry experiment based on embedding a Coulomb-blockaded island into an Aharonov-Bohm ring. For two ABSs, when the ground state is nearly degenerate, cotunneling can change the state of the island, and interference is suppressed. By contrast, for two MBSs the ground state is nondegenerate, and cotunneling has to preserve the island state, which leads to h/e-periodic conductance oscillations with magnetic flux. Such interference setups can be realized with semiconducting nanowires or two-dimensional electron gases with proximity-induced superconductivity and may also be a useful spectroscopic tool for parity-flip mechanisms.

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author
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organization
publishing date
type
Contribution to journal
publication status
published
subject
in
Physical Review B
volume
97
issue
16
article number
161401
publisher
American Physical Society
external identifiers
  • scopus:85045131834
ISSN
2469-9950
DOI
10.1103/PhysRevB.97.161401
language
English
LU publication?
yes
id
360daa7f-4329-4a3f-b50b-8ca08209351e
date added to LUP
2018-04-17 14:13:15
date last changed
2023-11-17 17:43:16
@article{360daa7f-4329-4a3f-b50b-8ca08209351e,
  abstract     = {{<p>Experimental evidence for Majorana bound states (MBSs) is so far mainly based on the robustness of a zero-bias conductance peak. However, similar features can also arise due to Andreev bound states (ABSs) localized at the end of an island. We show that these two scenarios can be distinguished by an interferometry experiment based on embedding a Coulomb-blockaded island into an Aharonov-Bohm ring. For two ABSs, when the ground state is nearly degenerate, cotunneling can change the state of the island, and interference is suppressed. By contrast, for two MBSs the ground state is nondegenerate, and cotunneling has to preserve the island state, which leads to h/e-periodic conductance oscillations with magnetic flux. Such interference setups can be realized with semiconducting nanowires or two-dimensional electron gases with proximity-induced superconductivity and may also be a useful spectroscopic tool for parity-flip mechanisms.</p>}},
  author       = {{Hell, Michael and Flensberg, Karsten and Leijnse, Martin}},
  issn         = {{2469-9950}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  month        = {{04}},
  number       = {{16}},
  publisher    = {{American Physical Society}},
  series       = {{Physical Review B}},
  title        = {{Distinguishing Majorana bound states from localized Andreev bound states by interferometry}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.97.161401}},
  doi          = {{10.1103/PhysRevB.97.161401}},
  volume       = {{97}},
  year         = {{2018}},
}