Spontaneous Josephson π junctions with topological superconductors
- Creators
- Haim, Arbel
Abstract
We examine the question of whether a π junction can spontaneously form in a Josephson junction between two topological superconductors. We study a junction between two time-reversal-invariant topological superconductors and show this system goes through a series of multiple transitions between a 0-junction phase, where the free energy has its minimum for a superconducting phase difference of zero, and a π-junction phase, where the free energy has its minimum for a superconducting phase difference of π. These transitions occur in the absence of a Coulomb blockade or magnetic impurities. Rather, they are driven by the spin-orbit coupling in the junction, and can be probed, for example, by measuring the tunneling density of states or the critical current as a function of the junction's length or its Fermi velocity.
Additional Information
© 2019 American Physical Society. Received 10 February 2019; revised manuscript received 15 May 2019; published 6 August 2019. I benefited from discussions with L. Arrachea, F. von Oppen, Y. Oreg, and A. Stern. This research was supported by the Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics at Caltech.Attached Files
Published - PhysRevB.100.064505.pdf
Submitted - 1902.03248.pdf
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Additional details
- Alternative title
- Tunable Josephson pi junctions without Coulomb blockade
- Alternative title
- Tunable Josephson π junctions without Coulomb blockade
- Eprint ID
- 95061
- Resolver ID
- CaltechAUTHORS:20190429-075854330
- Created
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2019-04-29Created from EPrint's datestamp field
- Updated
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2021-11-16Created from EPrint's last_modified field
- Caltech groups
- Institute for Quantum Information and Matter, Walter Burke Institute for Theoretical Physics