Anomalous Fraunhofer patterns in Cd$_3$As$_2$ Josephson Junctions

Abstract

Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in topological superconductors are promising for quantum computing, yet their unambiguous detection remains challenging. We fabricated Josephson junctions (JJs) using Cd$_3$As$_2$ Dirac semimetal nanoribbons with NbTi superconducting electrodes to investigate topological supercurrents through Fraunhofer pattern analysis. The JJs exhibited excellent quality with high transparency ($\tau$ = 0.77) and large induced superconducting gap ($\Delta$ = 1.10 meV), confirmed by multiple Andreev reflection features. While node lifting at the third minimum of the Fraunhofer pattern was observed as a predicted signature of 4{$\pi$}-periodic topological supercurrents, our theoretical analysis demonstrates that asymmetric supercurrent distributions can reproduce this behavior without invoking MZMs. These findings reveal that anomalous Fraunhofer patterns alone cannot reliably confirm topological superconductivity, necessitating complementary experimental approaches for conclusive Majorana detection