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William S. Cole

Publications and source records attributed to William S. Cole.

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

Response to recent comments on Phys. Rev. B 107, 245423 (2023) and Subsection S4.3 of the Supp. Info. for Nature 638, 651-655 (2025)

The topological gap protocol (TGP) is a statistical test designed to identify a topological phase with high confidence and without human bias. It is used to determine a promising parameter regime for operating topological qubits. The protocol's key metric is the probability of incorrectly identifying a trivial region as topological, referred to as the false discovery rate (FDR). Two recent manuscripts [arXiv:2502.19560, arXiv:2503.08944] engage with the topological gap protocol and its use in Phys. Rev. B 107, 245423 (2023) and Subsection S4.3 of the Supplementary Information for Nature 638, 651-655 (2025), although they do not explicitly dispute the main results of either one. We demonstrate that the objections in arXiv:2502.19560 and arXiv:2503.08944 are unfounded, and we uphold the conclusions of Phys. Rev. B 107, 245423 (2023) and Nature 638, 651-655 (2025). Specifically, we show that no flaws have been identified in our estimate of the false discovery rate (FDR). We provide a point-by-point rebuttal of the comments in arXiv:2502.19560 and arXiv:2503.08944.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Topological superconductivity in nanowires proximate to a diffusive superconductor-magnetic insulator bilayer

We study semiconductor nanowires coupled to a bilayer of a disordered superconductor and a magnetic insulator, motivated by recent experiments reporting possible Majorana-zero-mode signatures in related architectures. Specifically, we pursue a quasiclassical Usadel equation approach that treats superconductivity in the bilayer self-consistently in the presence of spin-orbit scattering, magnetic-impurity scattering, and Zeeman splitting induced by both the magnetic insulator and a supplemental applied field. Within this framework we explore prospects for engineering topological superconductivity in a nanowire proximate to the bilayer. We find that a magnetic-insulator-induced Zeeman splitting, mediated through the superconductor alone, cannot induce a topological phase since the destruction of superconductivity (i.e., Clogston limit) preempts the required regime in which the nanowire's Zeeman energy exceeds the induced pairing strength. However, this Zeeman splitting does reduce the critical applied field needed to access the topological phase transition, with fields antiparallel to the magnetization of the magnetic insulator having an optimal effect. Finally, we show that magnetic-impurity scattering degrades the topological phase, and spin-orbit scattering, if present in the superconductor, pushes the Clogston limit to higher fields yet simultaneously increases the critical applied field strength.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Inversion-protected higher order topological superconductivity in monolayer WTe$_2$

Monolayer WTe$_2$, a centrosymmetric transition metal dichacogenide, has recently been established as a quantum spin Hall insulator and found superconducting upon gating. Here we study the pairing symmetry and topological nature of superconducting WTe$_2$ with a microscopic model at mean-field level. Surprisingly, we find that the spin-triplet phases in our phase diagram all host Majorana modes localized on two opposite corners. Even when the conventional pairing is favored, we find that an intermediate in-plane magnetic field exceeding the Pauli limit stabilizes an unconventional equal-spin pairing aligning with the field, which also hosts Majorana corner modes. Motivated by our findings, we obtain a recipe for two-dimensional superconductors featuring "higher-order topology" from the boundary perspective: Generally a superconducting inversion-symmetric quantum spin Hall material whose normal-state Fermi surface is away from high-symmetry points, such as gated monolayer WTe$_2$, hosts Majorana corner modes if the superconductivity is parity-odd. We further point out that this higher-order phase is an inversion-protected topological crystalline superconductor and study the bulk-boundary correspondence. Finally, we discuss possible experiments for probing the Majorana corner modes. Our findings suggest superconducting monolayer WTe$_2$ is a playground for higher-order topological superconductivity, and possibly the first material realization for inversion-protected Majorana corner modes without utilizing proximity effect.

cond-mat.supr-con

Quasiparticle poisoning of Majorana qubits

Qubits based on Majorana zero modes are a promising path towards topological quantum computing. Such qubits, though, are susceptible to quasiparticle poisoning which does not have to be small by topological argument. We study the main sources of the quasiparticle poisoning relevant for realistic devices -- non-equilibrium above-gap quasiparticles and equilibrium localized subgap states. Depending on the parameters of the system and the architecture of the qubit either of these sources can dominate the qubit decoherence. However, we find in contrast to naive estimates that in moderately disordered, floating Majorana islands the quasiparticle poisoning can have timescales exceeding seconds.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Generic quantized zero-bias conductance peaks in superconductor-semiconductor hybrid structures

We show theoretically that quantized zero-bias conductance peaks should be ubiquitous in superconductor-semiconductor hybrids by employing a zero-dimensional random matrix model with continuous tuning parameters. We demonstrate that a normal metal-superconductor (NS) junction conductance spectra can be generically obtained in this model replicating all features seen in recent experimental results. The theoretical quantized conductance peaks, which explicitly do not arise from spatially isolated Majorana zero modes, are easily found by preparing a contour plot of conductance over several independent tuning parameters, mimicking the effect of Zeeman splitting and voltages on gates near the junction. This suggests that, even stable apparently quantized conductance peaks need not correspond to isolated Majorana modes; rather, the $\textit{a priori}$ expectation should be that such quantized peaks generically occupy a significant fraction of the high-dimensional tuning parameter space that characterizes the NS tunneling experiments.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Helical Hinge Majoranas in Iron-Based Superconductors

Motivated by recent experiments on FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_{x}$, we construct an explicit minimal model of an iron-based superconductor with band inversion at the $Z$ point and non-topological bulk $s_{\pm}$ pairing. While there has been considerable interest in Majorana zero modes localized at vortices in such systems, we find that our model - without any vortices - intrinsically supports 1D helical Majorana modes localized at the hinges between (001) and (100) or (010) surfaces, suggesting that this is a viable platform for observing "higher-order" topological superconductivity. We provide a general theory for these hinge modes and discuss their stability and experimental manifestation. Our work indicates the possible experimental observability of hinge Majoranas in iron-based topological superconductors.

cond-mat.supr-con

Higher Order Topology and Nodal Topological Superconductivity in Fe(Se,Te) Heterostructures

We show theoretically that a heterostructure of monolayer FeTe$_{1-x}$Se$_x$ - a superconducting quantum spin Hall material - with a monolayer of FeTe - a bicollinear antiferromagnet - realizes a higher order topological superconductor phase characterized by emergent Majorana zero modes pinned to the sample corners. We provide a minimal effective model for this system, analyze the origin of higher order topology, and fully characterize the topological phase diagram. Despite the conventional s-wave pairing, we find rather surprising emergence of a novel topological nodal superconductor in the phase diagram. Featured by edge-dependent Majorana flat bands, the topological nodal phase is protected by an antiferromagnetic chiral symmetry. We also discuss the experimental feasibility, the estimation of realistic model parameters, and the robustness of the Majorana corner modes against magnetic disorder. Our work provides a new experimentally feasible high-temperature platform for both higher order topology and non-Abelian Majorana physics.

cond-mat.supr-con

Proposal for measuring the parity anomaly in a topological superconductor ring

A topological superconductor ring is uniquely characterized by a switch in the ground state fermion number parity upon insertion of one superconducting flux quantum - a direct consequence of the topological `parity anomaly.' Despite the many other tantalizing signatures and applications of topological superconductors, this fundamental, defining property remains to be observed experimentally. Here we propose definitive detection of the fermion parity switch from the charging energy, temperature, and tunnel barrier dependence of the flux periodicity of two-terminal conductance of a floating superconductor ring. We extend the Ambegaokar-Eckern-Sch{ö}n formalism for superconductors with a Coulomb charging energy to establish new explicit relationships between thermodynamic and transport properties of such a ring and the topological invariant of the superconductor. Crucially, we show that the topological contribution to the conductance oscillations can be isolated from Aharonov-Bohm oscillations of non-topological origin by their different dependence on the charging energy or barrier transparency.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Spin-orbit coupled bosons in one dimension: emergent gauge field and Lifshitz transition

In the presence of strong spin-independent interactions and spin-orbit coupling, we show that the spinor Bose liquid confined to one spatial dimension undergoes an interaction- or density-tuned quantum phase transition similar to one theoretically proposed for itinerant magnetic solid-state systems. The order parameter describes broken $Z_2$ inversion symmetry, with the ordered phase accompanied by non-vanishing momentum which is generated by fluctuations of an emergent dynamical gauge field at the phase transition. This quantum phase transition has dynamical critical exponent $z \simeq 2$, typical of a Lifshitz transition, but is described by a nontrivial interacting fixed point. From direct numerical simulation of the microscopic model, we extract previously unknown critical exponents for this fixed point. Our model describes a realistic situation of 1D ultracold atoms with Raman-induced spin-orbit coupling, establishing this system as a platform for studying exotic critical behavior of the Hertz-Millis type.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Strong coupling phases of the spin-orbit-coupled spin-1 Bose-Hubbard chain: odd integer Mott lobes and helical magnetic phases

We study the odd integer filled Mott phases of a spin-1 Bose-Hubbard chain and determine their fate in the presence of a Raman induced spin-orbit coupling which has been achieved in ultracold atomic gases; this system is described by a quantum spin-1 chain with a spiral magnetic field. The spiral magnetic field initially induces helical order with either ferromagnetic or dimer order parameters, giving rise to a spiral paramagnet at large field. The spiral ferromagnet-to-paramagnet phase transition is in a novel universality class, with critical exponents associated with the divergence of the correlation length $ν\approx 2/3$ and the order parameter susceptibility $γ\approx 1/2$. We solve the effective spin model exactly using the density matrix renormalization group, and compare with both a large-$S$ classical solution and a phenomenological Landau theory. We discuss how these exotic bosonic magnetic phases can be produced and probed in ultracold atomic experiments in optical lattices.

cond-mat.quant-gas

Ising quantum criticality in Majorana nanowires

Finite-length one-dimensional topological superconductor wires host localized Majorana zero modes at their ends. In realistic models, these appear only after a topological quantum critical point is crossed by external tuning of parameters. Thus, there is a universal finite-size scaling, governed by the critical point, that dictates the evolution of the energy of the Majorana modes near the transition. We first describe this scaling, then apply it in detail to an explicit synthetic topological superconductor model. Our work not only connects Ising quantum criticality with realistic nanowires in the presence of spin-orbit coupling, Zeeman splitting and superconductivity, but also provides a viable experimental route for discerning the existence of the topological quantum critical point.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Transport in superconductor--normal metal--superconductor tunneling structures: Spinful p-wave and spin-orbit-coupled topological wires

We theoretically study transport properties of voltage-biased one-dimensional superconductor--normal metal--superconductor tunnel junctions with arbitrary junction transparency where the superconductors can have trivial or nontrivial topology. Motivated by recent experimental efforts on Majorana properties of superconductor-semiconductor hybrid systems, we consider two explicit models for topological superconductors: (i) spinful p-wave, and (ii) spin-split spin-orbit-coupled s-wave. We provide a comprehensive analysis of the zero-temperature dc current $I$ and differential conductance $dI/dV$ of voltage-biased junctions with or without Majorana zero modes (MZMs). The presence of an MZM necessarily gives rise to two tunneling conductance peaks at voltages $eV = \pm Δ_{\mathrm{lead}}$, i.e., the voltage at which the superconducting gap edge of the lead aligns with the MZM. We find that the MZM conductance peak probed by a superconducting lead $without$ a BCS singularity has a non-universal value which decreases with decreasing junction transparency. This is in contrast to the MZM tunneling conductance measured by a superconducting lead $with$ a BCS singularity, where the conductance peak in the tunneling limit takes the quantized value $G_M = (4-π)2e^2/h$ independent of the junction transparency. We also discuss the "subharmonic gap structure", a consequence of multiple Andreev reflections, in the presence and absence of MZMs. Finally, we show that for finite-energy Andreev bound states (ABSs), the conductance peaks shift away from the gap bias voltage $eV = \pm Δ_{\mathrm{lead}}$ to a larger value set by the ABSs energy. Our work should have important implications for the extensive current experimental efforts toward creating topological superconductivity and MZMs in semiconductor nanowires proximity coupled to ordinary s-wave superconductors.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Conductance spectroscopy of nontopological-topological superconductor junctions

We calculate the zero-temperature differential conductance $dI/dV$ of a voltage-biased one-dimensional junction between a nontopological and a topological superconductor for arbitrary junction transparency using the scattering matrix formalism. We consider two representative models for the topological superconductors: (i) spinful $p$-wave and (ii) $s$-wave with spin-orbit coupling and spin splitting. We verify that in the tunneling limit (small junction transparencies) where only single Andreev reflections contribute to the current, the conductance for voltages below the nontopological superconductor gap $Δ_s$ is zero and there are two symmetric conductance peaks appearing at $eV = \pm Δ_s$ with the quantized value $(4-π)2e^2/h$ due to resonant Andreev reflection from the Majorana zero mode. However, when the junction transparency is not small, there is a finite conductance for $e|V| < Δ_s$ arising from multiple Andreev reflections. The conductance at $eV = \pm Δ_s$ in this case is no longer quantized. In general, the conductance is particle-hole asymmetric except for sufficiently small transparencies. We further show that, for certain values of parameters, the tunneling conductance from a zero-energy conventional Andreev bound state can be made to mimic the conductance from a true Majorana mode.

cond-mat.mes-hall

Induced spectral gap and pairing correlations from superconducting proximity effect

We theoretically consider superconducting proximity effect, using the Bogoliubov-de Gennes theory, in heterostructure sandwich-type geometries involving a normal s-wave superconductor and a non-superconducting material with the proximity effect being driven by Cooper pairs tunneling from the superconducting slab to the non-superconducting slab. Applications of the superconducting proximity effect may rely on an induced spectral gap or induced pairing correlations without any spectral gap. We clarify that in a non-superconducting material the induced spectral gap and pairing correlations are independent physical quantities arising from the proximity effect. This is a crucial issue in proposals to create topological superconductivity through the proximity effect. Heterostructures of 3D topological insulator (TI) slabs on conventional s-wave superconductor (SC) substrates provide a platform, with proximity-induced topological superconductivity expected to be observed on the "naked" top surface of a thin TI slab. We theoretically study the induced superconducting gap on this naked surface. In addition, we compare against the induced spectral gap in heterostructures of SC with a normal metal or a semiconductor with strong spin orbit coupling and a Zeeman splitting potential (another platform for topological superconductivity). We find that for any model for the non-SC metal (including metallic TI) the induced spectral gap on the naked surface decays as $L^{-3}$ as the thickness ($L$) of the non-SC slab is increased in contrast to the slower $1/L$ decay of the pairing correlations. Our distinction between proximity-induced spectral gap (with its faster spatial decay) and pairing correlation (with its slower spatial decay) has important implications for the currently active search for topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions in various superconducting heterostructures.

cond-mat.supr-con

Proximity effect and Majorana bound states in clean semiconductor nanowires coupled to disordered superconductors

We study a semiconductor wire with strong spin-orbit coupling, which is proximity-coupled to a superconductor with chemical potential disorder. When tunneling at the semiconductor- superconductor interface is very weak, it is known that disorder in the superconductor does not affect the induced superconductivity nor, therefore, the effective topological superconductivity that emerges above a critical magnetic field. We demonstrate nonperturbatively how this result breaks down with stronger proximity coupling by obtaining the low-energy (i.e., subgap) excitation spectrum through direct numerical diagonalization of an appropriate BdG hamiltonian. With strong proximity coupling, we find that disorder in the parent superconductor suppresses the (non- topological) induced gap at zero magnetic field by disordering the induced pair potential. In the topological superconducting phase at large magnetic field, strong proximity coupling reduces the localization length of Majorana bound states, such that the induced disorder eliminates the topological gap while bulk Majorana zero modes emerge, even for short wires.

cond-mat.supr-con

Effects of large induced superconducting gap on semiconductor Majorana nanowires

With the recent achievement of extremely high-quality epitaxial interfaces between InAs nanowires and superconducting Al shells with strong superconductor-semiconductor tunnel coupling, a new regime of proximity-induced superconductivity in semiconductors can be explored where the induced gap may be similar in value to the bulk Al gap (large gap) with negligible subgap conductance (hard gap). We propose several experimentally relevant consequences of this large-gap strong-coupling regime for tunneling experiments, and we comment on the prospects of this regime for topological superconductivity. In particular, we show that the advantages of having a strong spin-orbit coupling and a large spin g-factor in the semiconductor nanowire may both be compromised in this strongly coupled limit, and somewhat weaker interface tunneling may be necessary for achieving optimal proximity superconductivity in the semiconductor nanowire. We derive a minimal, generic theory for the strong-coupling hard-gap regime obtaining good qualitative agreement with the experiment and pointing out future directions for further progress toward Majorana nanowires in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor structures.

cond-mat.supr-con

Novel magnetic state in $d^4$ Mott insulators

We show that the interplay of strong Hubbard interaction $U$ and spin-orbit coupling $λ$ in systems with $d^4$ electronic configuration leads to several unusual magnetic phases. Most notably, we find that competition between superexchange and spin-orbit coupling leads to a phase transition from a non-magnetic state predicted by atomic physics to a novel magnetic state in the large $U$ limit. We show that the local moment changes dramatically across this phase transition, challenging the conventional wisdom that local moments are robust against small perturbations in a Mott insulator. The Hund's coupling plays an important role in determining the nature of the magnetism. We identify candidate materials and present predictions for Resonant X-ray Scattering (RXS) signatures of the unusual magnetism in $d^4$ Mott insulators.

cond-mat.str-el