Peng Fan — Page 2 | Searcharxiv

arXiv2018

Projective Truncation Approximation for Equations of Motion of Two-Time Green's Functions

In the equation of motion approach to the two-time Green's functions, conventional Tyablikov-type truncation of the chain of equations is rather arbitrary and apt to violate the analytical structure of Green's functions. Here, we propose a practical way to truncate the equations of motion using operator projection. The partial projection approximation is introduced to evaluate the Liouville matrix. It guarantees the causality of Green's functions, fulfills the time translation invariance and the particle-hole symmetry, and is easy to implement in a computer. To benchmark this method, we study the Anderson impurity model using the operator basis at the level of Lacroix approximation. Improvement over conventional Lacroix approximation is observed. The distribution of Kondo screening in the energy space is studied using this method.

cond-mat.str-el↗

arXiv2018

Evidence for Majorana bound state in an iron-based superconductor

The search for Majorana bound state (MBS) has recently emerged as one of the most active research areas in condensed matter physics, fueled by the prospect of using its non-Abelian statistics for robust quantum computation. A highly sought-after platform for MBS is two-dimensional topological superconductors, where MBS is predicted to exist as a zero-energy mode in the core of a vortex. A clear observation of MBS, however, is often hindered by the presence of additional low-lying bound states inside the vortex core. By using scanning tunneling microscope on the newly discovered superconducting Dirac surface state of iron-based superconductor FeTe1-xSex (x = 0.45, superconducting transition temperature Tc = 14.5 K), we clearly observe a sharp and non-split zero-bias peak inside a vortex core. Systematic studies of its evolution under different magnetic fields, temperatures, and tunneling barriers strongly suggest that this is the case of tunneling to a nearly pure MBS, separated from non-topological bound states which is moved away from the zero energy due to the high ratio between the superconducting gap and the Fermi energy in this material. This observation offers a new, robust platform for realizing and manipulating MBSs at a relatively high temperature.

cond-mat.supr-con↗