arXiv subjects

Wolfgang Himmler

Publications and source records attributed to Wolfgang Himmler.

4 recordsLinked to original sources

arXiv2026

Giant anomalous Josephson effect as a probe of spin texture in topological insulators

Surface states of topological insulators feature chiral spin-momentum locking. When such states are used as weak link between two superconductors, their spin texture gives rise to the anomalous Josephson effect, i.e., to a $φ_0$ shift in the current phase relation. In this work, we explore the anomalous Josephson effect in junctions where the weak link is a HgTe nanowire. We observe a giant anomalous $φ_0$-shift of the current-phase relation, which we attribute to the fact that HgTe surface states feature a single Fermi contour. Moreover, by varying the orientation of the in-plane magnetic field, we obtain information about the spin texture in momentum space. In particular, we found that the spin is not exactly perpendicular to the momentum, but shows a significant deviation of 19 degrees. Our results establish the anomalous Josephson effect as a sensitive tool to probe the spin texture of chiral 2D systems.

cond-mat.supr-con↗

arXiv2025

Anomalous conductance steps in three-dimensional topological insulator HgTe-based quantum point contacts

We explore electrical transport through a point contact in strained HgTe, a three-dimensional topological insulator. In the absence of a magnetic field $B$, there is no quantization. However, under higher magnetic fields, we observe distinct non-integer conductance steps. Based on numerical tight-binding calculations and a phenomenological Landauer-Büttiker approach, we attribute these atypical, non-integer quantized plateaus to significant scattering effects at the point contact.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2022

Supercurrent interference in HgTe Josephson junctions

Wires made of topological insulators (TI) are a promising platform for searching for Majorana bound states. These states can be probed by analyzing the fractional ac Josephson effect in Josephson junctions with the TI wire as a weak link. An axial magnetic field can be used to tune the system from trivial to topologically nontrivial. Here we investigate the oscillations of the supercurrent in such wire Josephson junctions as a function of the axial magnetic field strength and different contact transparencies. Although the current flows on average parallel to the magnetic field we observe $h/2e$, $h/4e$- and even $h/8e$-periodic oscillations of the supercurrent in samples with lower contact transparencies. Corresponding tight-binding transport simulations using a Bogoliubov-de Gennes model Hamiltonian yield the supercurrent through the Josephson junctions, showing in particular the peculiar $h/4e$-periodic oscillations observed in experiments. A further semiclassical analysis based on Andreev-reflected trajectories connecting the two superconductors allows us to identify the physical origin of these oscillations. They can be related to flux-enclosing paths winding around the TI-nanowire, thereby highlighting the three-dimensional character of the junction geometry compared to common planar junctions.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗

arXiv2021

$4π$-periodic supercurrent tuned by an axial magnetic flux in topological insulator nanowires

Topological insulator (TI) nanowires in proximity with conventional superconductors have been proposed as a tunable platform to realize topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes (MZM). The tuning is done using an axial magnetic flux $Φ$ which allows transforming the system from trivial at $Φ=0$ to topologically nontrivial when half a magnetic flux quantum $Φ_0/2$ threads the wire's cross-section. Here we explore the expected topological transition in TI-wire-based Josephson junctions as a function of magnetic flux by probing the $4π$-periodic fraction of the supercurrent, which is considered as an indicator of topological superconductivity. Our data suggest that this $4π$-periodic supercurrent is at lower magnetic field largely of trivial origin, but that at magnetic fields above $\simΦ_{0}/4$ topological $4π$-periodic supercurrents take over.

cond-mat.mes-hall↗