Topological insulators and Majorana fermions

• Grant number: 16/08468-0
• Support Opportunities: Regular Research Grants
• Duration: August 01, 2016 - January 31, 2019
• Field of knowledge: Physical Sciences and Mathematics - Physics - Condensed Matter Physics
• Principal Investigator: José Carlos Egues de Menezes
• Grantee: José Carlos Egues de Menezes
• Host Institution: Instituto de Física de São Carlos (IFSC). Universidade de São Paulo (USP). São Carlos , SP, Brazil
• Associated researchers: Edson Vernek ; Luis Gregório Godoy de Vasconcellos Dias da Silva
• Associated grant(s): 16/50200-4 - Quantum correction to the conductivity of 2D electron gases near the Rashba-Dresselhaus SU(2) sysmmetry point, AP.R SPRINT

Abstract

This proposal presents research plans involving state of the art topics in condensed matter physics still incipient in Brazil; (i) topological insulators and (ii) Majorana fermions. Considering our recent imersion in these two fields (already with publications), we intend here to continue on and expand our research capacity along these lines. To this end, we should involve MSc and PhD graduate students, post-doctoral associates and collaborators both from Brazil and abroad. More specifically, the main two subprojects to be carried our by the members of our team (students, postdocs and collaborators) involve 1) the generalization of previous models of topological insulators (e.g., the "BHZ model") to include superconductivity and possibly describe recent experiments reporting the observation of edge-state superconductivity in 2D topological insulators and 2) the investigation of superconducting chains (Kitaev model) coupled to quantum dots, as possible model systems for the detection of Majorana modes. There is a myriad of possible new directions stemming from 1) and 2). As we carry out the research plans proposed here we shall consider additional projects which will engage new students and posdocs. Some of these subprojects fit naturally into the current research areas of our group at IFSC. For instance, a) the detailed investigation of k.p models for a quantum-dot topological insulator and the comparative study of these with the BHZ model with a similar confinement and b) the theoretical-experimental study of the spin-orbit couplings in Rashba-Dresselhaus GaAs wells via magnetoresistance (weak localization). (AU)

Scientific publications

(13)

(References retrieved automatically from Web of Science and SciELO through information on FAPESP grants and their corresponding numbers as mentioned in the publications by the authors)

ZEGARRA, ANTONIO; EGUES, J. CARLOS; CHEN, WEI. Persistent currents and spin torque caused by percolated quantum spin Hall state. Physical Review B, v. 101, n. 22, JUN 29 2020. (16/08468-0)

WEIGELE, PIRMIN J.; MARINESCU, D. C.; DETTWILER, FLORIAN; FU, JIYONG; MACK, SHAWN; EGUES, J. CARLOS; AWSCHALOM, DAVID D.; ZUMBUEHL, DOMINIK M.. Symmetry breaking of the persistent spin helix in quantum transport. Physical Review B, v. 101, n. 3, JAN 16 2020. (16/50200-4, 16/08468-0)

PATLATIUK, T.; SCHELLER, C. P.; HILL, D.; TSERKOVNYAK, Y.; EGUES, J. C.; BARAK, G.; YACOBY, A.; PFEIFFER, L. N.; WEST, K. W.; ZUMBUEHL, D. M.. Edge-State Wave Functions from Momentum-Conserving Tunneling Spectroscopy. Physical Review Letters, v. 125, n. 8, AUG 21 2020. (16/50200-4, 16/08468-0)

FU, JIYONG; PENTEADO, POLIANA H.; CANDIDO, DENIS R.; FERREIRA, G. J.; PIRES, D. P.; BERNARDES, E.; EGUES, J. C.. Spin-orbit coupling in wurtzite heterostructures. Physical Review B, v. 101, n. 13, APR 14 2020. (16/08468-0)

SCHLIEMANN, JOHN; COSTA, I, JOAO VITOR; WENK, PAUL; EGUES, J. CARLOS. Many-body localization: Transitions in spin models. Physical Review B, v. 103, n. 17, MAY 13 2021. (16/08468-0, 18/19017-4, 20/00841-9)

CALIFRER, IGOR J.; PENTEADO, POLIANA H.; CARLOS EGUES, J.; CHEN, WEI. Proximity-induced zero-energy states indistinguishable from topological edge states. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 107, n. 4, p. 9-pg., 2023-01-03. (20/00841-9, 16/08468-0)

WEIGELE, PIRMIN J.; MARINESCU, D. C.; DETTWILER, FLORIAN; FU, JIYONG; MACK, SHAWN; EGUES, J. CARLOS; AWSCHALOM, DAVID D.; ZUMBUEHL, DOMINIK M.. Symmetry breaking of the persistent spin helix in quantum transport. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 101, n. 3, p. 13-pg., 2020-01-16. (16/08468-0, 16/50200-4)

FU, JIYONG; PENTEADO, POLIANA H.; CANDIDO, DENIS R.; FERREIRA, G. J.; PIRES, D. P.; BERNARDES, E.; EGUES, J. C.. Spin-orbit coupling in wurtzite heterostructures. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 101, n. 13, p. 27-pg., 2020-04-14. (16/08468-0)

SCHLIEMANN, JOHN; COSTA, JOAO VITOR, I; WENK, PAUL; EGUES, J. CARLOS. Many-body localization: Transitions in spin models. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 103, n. 17, p. 10-pg., 2021-05-13. (16/08468-0, 18/19017-4, 20/00841-9)

ZEGARRA, ANTONIO; EGUES, J. CARLOS; CHEN, WEI. Persistent currents and spin torque caused by percolated quantum spin Hall state. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 101, n. 22, p. 10-pg., 2020-06-29. (16/08468-0)

ZEGARRA, ANTONIO; CANDIDO, DENIS R.; EGUES, J. CARLOS; CHEN, WEI. Corroborating the bulk-edge correspondence in weakly interacting one-dimensional topological insulators. PHYSICAL REVIEW B, v. 100, n. 7, p. 7-pg., 2019-08-07. (16/08468-0)

MARINESCU, D. C.; WEIGELE, PIRMIN J.; ZUMBUHL, DOMINIK M.; CARLOS EGUES, J.. Closed-Form Weak Localization Magnetoconductivity in Quantum Wells with Arbitrary Rashba and Dresselhaus Spin-Orbit Interactions. Physical Review Letters, v. 122, n. 15, APR 18 2019. (16/50200-4, 16/08468-0)

ZEGARRA, ANTONIO; CANDIDO, DENIS R.; EGUES, J. CARLOS; CHEN, WEI. Corroborating the bulk-edge correspondence in weakly interacting one-dimensional topological insulators. Physical Review B, v. 100, n. 7, AUG 7 2019. (16/08468-0)