Long-range Topological Superconductivity: from Majoranas to non-local massive Dirac fermions

Date and Time

November 14, 2017
11:45AM - 12:45PM EST

Location

Harvard University-Department Physics, Lyman 425, 17 Oxford St, Cambridge, MA

Long-range interactions can dramatically modify the phase diagram of condensed matter systems. Novel topological superconducting phases can be induced in both wire-shaped and planar structures by including long-range effects. In 1D, massless Majorana modes at the edge pair into a new topological quasiparticle: a massive Dirac fermion localized at both edges of the wire. This new topological phase has fractional quantum numbers as a consequence of the long-range couplings. Moreover, we remarkably observe a staircase of higher-order topological phase transitions. In 2D, we show how long-range interactions may greatly enhance the formation of chiral topological superconductivity. The inclusion of long-range effects is potentially applicable to recent experiments with magnetic impurities and islands in superconductors.

Speaker: Óscar Viyuela, RCC Fellow, Postdoctoral Researcher in Physics at Harvard University