Vortex Majorana modes in topologically trivial superconductors
Prof. Ruixing Zhang
Department of Physics & Astronomy
University of Tennessee Knoxville
Topological superconductors are often believed to be the best venue for non-Abelian Majorana zero modes (MZMs), while their experimental realizations are generally challenging for various reasons. In this talk, I will discuss two concrete examples to illustrate an alternative strategy for MZMs, which only involves a topologically trivial s-wave superconductor and a field-induced vortex. I will first describe how normal-state electronic topologies are accountable for multiple vortex-line topologies in several high-Tc iron-based superconductors. Our theory naturally explains the missing and recovery of vortex Majorana signals observed in LiFeAs. For the second part, I will show that vortex MZM is not a privilege of topological materials, but can arise from superconducting trivial bands as well. Our findings will shed new light on the Majorana-related material screening.
About the speaker:
Ruixing Zhang is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Physics & Astronomy and the Department of Materials Science & Engineering at the University of Tennessee Knoxville (UTK). Before joining UTK in 2021, he was a Joint Quantum Institute Postdoctoral Fellow at the University of Maryland under the supervision of Prof. Sankar Das Sarma. He received his Ph.D. degree in physics from Penn State in 2018 under the supervision of Prof. Chaoxing Liu and a Bachelor’s degree in physics from the University of Science and Technology of China in 2012. Ruixing’s research has been focusing on the interplay among symmetry, topology, electron correlation, and dynamics in quantum materials and the application of topological materials in next-generation electronics and information processors.
Hosted by Prof. Assaf
Originally published at physics.nd.edu.