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Roman M. Lutchyn

Publications and source records attributed to Roman M. Lutchyn.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Nonlocal conductance of a Majorana wire near the topological transition

We develop a theory of the nonlocal conductance $G_{RL}(V)$ for a disordered Majorana wire tuned near the topological transition critical point. Under these conditions, the antisymmetric part of the differential conductance, $[G_{RL}(V) - G_{RL}(-V)] /2$, is the dominant one for a sufficiently long wire. This reflects the charge-neutral nature of the critical modes in the wire. We factorize the conductance into a term describing propagation of the critical modes along the wire, and terms describing the contacts between the wire and the normal leads. Topological transition affects only the former term. At the critical point, the localization length has a logarithmic singularity at the Fermi level, $l(E) \propto \ln(1 / E)$. This singularity directly manifests in the conductance magnitude, as $\ln |G_{RL}(V) / G_Q| \sim L / l(eV)$ for the wire of length $L \gg l(eV)$. Tuning the wire away from the immediate vicinity of the critical point changes the monotonicity of $l(E)$. This change in monotonicity allows us to define the width of the critical region around the transition point.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Predictive simulations of the dynamical response of mesoscopic devices

As the complexity of mesoscopic quantum devices increases, simulations are becoming an invaluable tool for understanding their behavior. This is especially true for the superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures used to build Majorana-based topological qubits, where quantitatively understanding the interplay of topological superconductivity, disorder, semiconductor quantum dots, Coulomb blockade and noise has been essential for progress on device design and interpretation of measurements. In this paper, we describe a general framework to simulate the low-energy quantum dynamics of such complex systems. We illustrate our approach by computing the dispersive gate sensing (DGS) response of quantum dots coupled to topological superconductors. We start by formulating the DGS response as an open-system quantum dynamics problem, which allows a consistent treatment of drive backaction as well as quantum and classical noise. For microscopic quantum problems subject to Coulomb-blockade, where a direct solution in the exponentially large many-body Hilbert space would be prohibitive, we introduce a series of controlled approximations that incorporate ideas from tensor network theory and quantum chemistry to reduce this Hilbert space to a few low-energy degrees of freedom that accurately capture the low-energy quantum dynamics. We demonstrate the methods introduced in this paper on the example of a single quantum dot coupled to a topological superconductor and a microscopic realization of the fermion parity readout setup of Aghaee et al. arXiv:2401.09549 (2024).

cond-mat.mes-hall

Influence of disorder on antidot vortex Majorana states in 3D topological insulators

Topological insulator/superconductor two-dimensional heterostructures are promising candidates for realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana modes. In these systems, a vortex pinned by a pre-fabricated antidot in the superconductor can host Majorana zero-energy modes (MZMs), which are exotic quasiparticles that may enable quantum information processing. However, a major challenge is to design devices that can manipulate the information encoded in these MZMs. One of the key factors is to create small and clean antidots, so the MZMs, localized in the vortex core, have a large gap to other excitations. If the antidot is too large or too disordered, the level spacing for the subgap vortex states may become smaller than temperature. In this paper, we numerically investigate the effects of disorder, chemical potential, and antidot size on the subgap vortex spectrum, using a two-dimensional effective model of the topological insulator surface. Our model allows us to simulate large system sizes with vortices up to 1.8 $μ$m in diameter (with a 6 nm lattice constant). We also compare our disorder model with the transport data from existing experiments. We find that the spectral gap can exhibit a non-monotonic behavior as a function of disorder strength, and that it can be tuned by applying a gate voltage.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Supercurrent decay in ballistic magnetic Josephson junctions

We investigate transport properties of ballistic magnetic Josephson junctions and establish that suppression of supercurrent is an intrinsic property of the junctions, even in absence of disorder. By studying the role of ferromagnet thickness, magnetization, and crystal orientation we show how the supercurrent decays exponentially with thickness and identify two mechanisms responsible for the effect: (i) large exchange splitting may gap out minority or majority carriers leading to the suppression of Andreev reflection in the junction, (ii) loss of synchronization between different modes due to the significant dispersion of the quasiparticle velocity with the transverse momentum. Our results for Nb/Ni/Nb junctions are in good agreement with recent experimental studies. Our approach combines density functional theory and Bogoliubov-de Gennes model and opens a path for material composition optimization in magnetic Josephson junctions and superconducting magnetic spin valves.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Majorana signatures in charge transport through a topological superconducting double-island system

We investigate the dynamics of a charge qubit consisting of two Coulomb-blockaded islands hosting Majorana zero modes. The frequency of the qubit is determined by coherent single-electron tunneling between two islands originating from the hybridization of two Majorana zero modes localized at the junction. We calculate the sequential tunneling current $I$ through the double-island device coupled to normal metal leads. We demonstrate that the $I\!-\!V$ characteristics in the large-bias regime can be used as a measurement of the coherent Majorana coupling $E_M$. We propose dc and ac transport experiments for measuring $E_M$, and discuss their limitations due to intrinsic dephasing mechanisms such as excited quasiparticles.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Protocol to identify a topological superconducting phase in a three-terminal device

We develop a protocol to determine the presence and extent of a topological phase with Majorana zero modes in a hybrid superconductor-semiconductor device. The protocol is based on conductance measurements in a three-terminal device with two normal leads and one superconducting lead. A radio-frequency technique acts as a proxy for the measurement of local conductance, allowing a rapid, systematic scan of the large experimental phase space of the device. Majorana zero modes cause zero bias conductance peaks at each end of the wire, so we identify promising regions of the phase space by filtering for this condition. To validate the presence of a topological phase, a subsequent measurement of the non-local conductance in these regions is used to detect a topological transition via the closing and reopening of the bulk energy gap. We define data analysis routines that allow for an automated and unbiased execution of the protocol. Our protocol is designed to screen out false positives, especially trivial Andreev bound states that mimic Majorana zero modes in local conductance. We apply the protocol to several examples of simulated data illustrating the detection of topological phases and the screening of false positives.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Electronic structure of InAs and InSb surfaces: density functional theory and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy

The electronic structure of surfaces plays a key role in the properties of quantum devices. However, surfaces are also the most challenging to simulate and engineer. Here, we study the electronic structure of InAs(001), InAs(111), and InSb(110) surfaces using a combination of density functional theory (DFT) and angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES). We were able to perform large-scale first principles simulations and capture effects of different surface reconstructions by using DFT calculations with a machine-learned Hubbard U correction [npj Comput. Mater. 6, 180 (2020)]. To facilitate direct comparison with ARPES results, we implemented a "bulk unfolding" scheme by projecting the calculated band structure of a supercell surface slab model onto the bulk primitive cell. For all three surfaces, we find a good agreement between DFT calculations and ARPES. For InAs(001), the simulations clarify the effect of the surface reconstruction. Different reconstructions are found to produce distinctive surface states. For InAs(111) and InSb(110), the simulations help elucidate the effect of oxidation. Owing to larger charge transfer from As to O than from Sb to O, oxidation of InAs(111) leads to significant band bending and produces an electron pocket, whereas oxidation of InSb(110) does not. Our combined theoretical and experimental results may inform the design of quantum devices based on InAs and InSb semiconductors, e.g., topological qubits utilizing the Majorana zero modes.

cond-mat.mtrl-sci

Signatures of topological ground state degeneracy in Majorana islands

We consider a mesoscopic superconducting island hosting multiple pairs of Majorana zero-energy modes. The Majorana island consists of multiple p-wave wires connected together by a trivial (s-wave) superconducting backbone and is characterized by an overall charging energy $E_C$; the wires are coupled to normal-metal leads via tunnel junctions. We calculate the average charge on the island as well as non-local conductance matrix as a function of a p-wave pairing gap $Δ_P$, charging energy $E_C$ and dimensionless junction conductances $g_i$. We find that the presence of a topological ground-state degeneracy in the island dramatically enhances charge fluctuations and leads to the suppression of Coulomb blockade effects. In contrast with conventional (s-wave) mesoscopic superconducting islands, we find that Coulomb blockade oscillations of conductance are suppressed in Majorana islands regardless of the ratio $E_C/Δ_P$ or the magnitude of the conductances $g_i$. We also discuss our findings in relation to the so-called topological Kondo effect.

cond-mat.supr-con

Number conserving analysis of measurement-based braiding with Majorana zero modes

Majorana-based quantum computation seeks to encode information non-locally in pairs of Majorana zero modes, thereby isolating qubit states from a local noisy environment. In addition to long coherence times, the attractiveness of Majorana-based quantum computing relies on achieving topologically protected Clifford gates from braiding operations. Recent works have conjectured that mean-field BCS calculations may fail to account for non-universal corrections to the Majorana braiding operations. Such errors would be detrimental to Majorana-based topological quantum computing schemes. In this work, we develop a particle-number conserving approach for measurement-based topological quantum computing and investigate the effect of quantum phase fluctuations. We demonstrate that braiding transformations are indeed topologically protected in charge-protected Majorana-based quantum computing schemes.

cond-mat.mes-hall

A unified numerical approach to semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures

We develop a unified numerical approach for modeling semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures. Our approach takes into account on equal footing important key ingredients: proximity-induced superconductivity, orbital and Zeeman effect of an applied magnetic field, spin-orbit coupling as well as the electrostatic environment. As a model system, we consider indium arsenide (InAs) nanowires with epitaxial aluminum (Al) shell and demonstrate qualitative agreement of the obtained results with the existing experimental data. Finally, we characterize the topological superconducting phase emerging in a finite magnetic field and calculate the corresponding topological phase diagram.

cond-mat.supr-con

Current-phase relations of InAs nanowire Josephson junctions: from interacting to multi-mode regimes

Gate-tunable semiconductor-superconductor nanowires with superconducting leads form exotic Josephson junctions that are a highly desirable platform for two types of qubits: those with topological superconductivity (Majorana qubits) and those based on tunable anharmonicity (gatemon qubits). Controlling their behavior, however, requires understanding their electrostatic environment and electronic structure. Here we study gated InAs nanowires with epitaxial aluminum shells. By measuring current-phase relations (CPR) and comparing them with analytical and numerical calculations, we show that we can tune the number of modes, determine the transparency of each mode, and tune into regimes in which electron-electron interactions are apparent, indicating the presence of a quantum dot. To take into account electrostatic and geometrical effects, we perform microscopic self-consistent Schrodinger-Poisson numerical simulations, revealing the energy spectrum of Andreev states in the junction as well as their spatial distribution. Our work systematically demonstrates the effect of device geometry, gate voltage and phase bias on mode behavior, providing new insights into ongoing experimental efforts and predictive device design.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Topological superconductivity in full shell proximitized nanowires

We consider a new model system supporting Majorana zero modes based on semiconductor nanowires with a full superconducting shell. We demonstrate that, in the presence of spin-orbit coupling in the semiconductor induced by a radial electric field, the winding of the superconducting order parameter leads to a topological phase supporting Majorana zero modes. The topological phase persists over a large range of chemical potentials and can be induced by a predictable and weak magnetic field piercing the cylinder. The system can be readily realized in semiconductor nanowires covered by a full superconducting shell, opening a pathway for realizing topological quantum computing proposals.

cond-mat.supr-con

Coulomb blockade of a nearly-open Majorana island

We consider the ground-state energy and the spectrum of the low-energy excitations of a Majorana island formed of topological superconductors connected by a single-mode junction of arbitrary transmission. Coulomb blockade results in $e$-periodic modulation of the energies with the gate-induced charge. We find the amplitude of modulation as a function of reflection coefficient ${\cal R}$. The amplitude scales as $\sqrt{\cal R}$ in the limit ${\cal R}\to 0$. At larger ${\cal R}$, the dependence of the amplitude on the Josephson and charging energies is similar to that of a conventional-superconductor Cooper-pair box. The crossover value of ${\cal R}$ is small and depends on the ratio of the charging energy to superconducting gap.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Effects of gate-induced electric fields on semiconductor Majorana nanowires

We study the effect of gate-induced electric fields on the properties of semiconductor-superconductor hybrid nanowires which represent a promising platform for realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes. Using a self-consistent Schrödinger-Poisson approach that describes the semiconductor and the superconductor on equal footing, we are able to access the strong tunneling regime and identify the impact of an applied gate voltage on the coupling between semiconductor and superconductor. We discuss how physical parameters such as the induced superconducting gap and Landé g-factor in the semiconductor are modified by redistributing the density of states across the interface upon application of an external gate voltage. Finally, we map out the topological phase diagram as a function of magnetic field and gate voltage for InAs/Al nanowires.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Electric field tunable superconductor-semiconductor coupling in Majorana nanowires

We study the effect of external electric fields on superconductor-semiconductor coupling by measuring the electron transport in InSb semiconductor nanowires coupled to an epitaxially grown Al superconductor. We find that the gate voltage induced electric fields can greatly modify the coupling strength, which has consequences for the proximity induced superconducting gap, effective g-factor, and spin-orbit coupling, which all play a key role in understanding Majorana physics. We further show that level repulsion due to spin-orbit coupling in a finite size system can lead to seemingly stable zero bias conductance peaks, which mimic the behavior of Majorana zero modes. Our results improve the understanding of realistic Majorana nanowire systems.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Observation of 2e-periodic Supercurrents in Nanowire Single-Cooper-Pair Transistors

Parity control of superconducting islands hosting Majorana zero modes (MZMs) is required to operate topological qubits made from proximitized semiconductor nanowires. We, therefore, study parity effects in hybrid InAs-Al single-Cooper-pair transistors (SCPTs) as a first step. In particular, we investigate the gate-charge supercurrent modulation and observe a consistent 2$e$-periodic pattern indicating a general lack of low-energy subgap states in these nanowires at zero magnetic field. In a parallel magnetic field, an even-odd pattern develops with a gate-charge spacing that oscillates as a function of field demonstrating that the modulation pattern is sensitive to the presence of a single subgap state. In addition, we find that the parity lifetime of the SCPT decreases exponentially with magnetic field as the subgap state approaches zero energy. Our work highlights the important role that intentional quasiparticle traps and superconducting gap engineering would play in topological qubits that require quenching of the island charge dispersion.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Impurity-induced states in superconducting heterostructures

Heterostructures allow the realization of electronic states that are difficult to obtain in isolated systems. Exemplary is the case of quasi-one-dimensional heterostructures formed by a superconductor and a semiconductor with spin-orbit coupling in which Majorana zero-energy modes can be realized. We study the effect of a single impurity on the spectrum of superconducting heterostructures. We find that the coupling between the superconductor and the semiconductor can strongly affect the impurity-induced states and may induce additional subgap bound states that are not present in isolated uniform superconductors. For the case of quasi-one-dimensional superconductor/semiconductor heterostructures, we obtain the conditions for which the low-energy impurity-induced bound states appear.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Scalable Designs for Quasiparticle-Poisoning-Protected Topological Quantum Computation with Majorana Zero Modes

We present designs for scalable quantum computers composed of qubits encoded in aggregates of four or more Majorana zero modes, realized at the ends of topological superconducting wire segments that are assembled into superconducting islands with significant charging energy. Quantum information can be manipulated according to a measurement-only protocol, which is facilitated by tunable couplings between Majorana zero modes and nearby semiconductor quantum dots. Our proposed architecture designs have the following principal virtues: (1) the magnetic field can be aligned in the direction of all of the topological superconducting wires since they are all parallel; (2) topological $T$-junctions are not used, obviating possible difficulties in their fabrication and utilization; (3) quasiparticle poisoning is abated by the charging energy; (4) Clifford operations are executed by a relatively standard measurement: detection of corrections to quantum dot energy, charge, or differential capacitance induced by quantum fluctuations; (5) it is compatible with strategies for producing good approximate magic states.

cond-mat.mes-hall