A missing step is a key step

Zhang, Fan; Pan, Wei

doi:10.1038/s41563-018-0179-1

A missing step is a key step

Journal Article · Mon Sep 17 04:00:00 EDT 2018 · Nature Materials

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1038/s41563-018-0179-1· OSTI ID:1502455

Zhang, Fan ^[1]; Pan, Wei ^[2]

Univ. of Texas, Dallas, Richardson, TX (United States). Dept. of Physics
Sandia National Lab. (SNL-NM), Albuquerque, NM (United States)

In a uniform superconductor, electrons form Cooper pairs that pick up the same quantum mechanical phase for their bosonic wavefunctions. This spontaneously breaks the gauge symmetry of electromagnetism. In 1962 Josephson predicted, and it was subsequently observed, that Cooper pairs can quantum mechanically tunnel between two weakly coupled superconductors that have a phase difference Φ. The resulting supercurrent is a 2π periodic function of the phase difference Φ across the junction. This is the celebrated Josephson effect. More recently, a fractional Josephson effect related to the presence of Majorana bound states — Majoranas — has been predicted for topological superconductors. This fractional Josephson effect has a characteristic 4π periodic current–phase relation. Now, writing in Nature Materials, Chuan Li and colleagues report experiments that utilize nanoscale phase-sensitive junction technology to induce superconductivity in a fine-tuned Dirac semimetal Bi_0.97Sb_0.03 and discover a significant contribution of 4π periodic supercurrent in Nb–Bi_0.97Sb_0.03–Nb Josephson junctions under radiofrequency irradiation.

View Accepted Manuscript (DOE)

Research Organization:: Sandia National Laboratories (SNL-CA), Livermore, CA (United States)

Sponsoring Organization:: USDOE National Nuclear Security Administration (NNSA)

Grant/Contract Number:: AC04-94AL85000; NA0003525

OSTI ID:: 1502455

Report Number(s):: SAND--2018-10061J; 667848

Journal Information:: Nature Materials, Journal Name: Nature Materials Journal Issue: 10 Vol. 17; ISSN 1476-1122

Publisher:: Springer Nature - Nature Publishing GroupCopyright Statement

Country of Publication:: United States

Language:: English

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Cited By (3)

Structure and reactivity of highly reduced titanium oxide surface layers on TiO ₂ : A first-principles study Wen, Bo; Liu, Li-Min; Selloni, Annabella The Journal of Chemical Physics, Vol. 151, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1063/1.5126961	journal	November 2019
High-Temperature Majorana Corner States Wang, Qiyue; Liu, Cheng-Cheng; Lu, Yuan-Ming Physical Review Letters, Vol. 121, Issue 18 https://doi.org/10.1103/physrevlett.121.186801	journal	October 2018
High-Temperature Majorana Corner States Wang, Qiyue; Liu, Cheng-Cheng; Lu, Yuan-Ming arXiv https://doi.org/10.48550/arxiv.1804.04711	text	January 2018

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