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    Topological superconductivity in a Bi2Te3/NbSe2 heterostructure: A review
    Hao Zheng(郑浩), Jin-Feng Jia(贾金锋)
    Chin. Phys. B, 2019, 28 (6): 067403.   DOI: 10.1088/1674-1056/28/6/067403
    Abstract1050)   HTML    PDF (2028KB)(540)      

    Topological superconductors carry globally protected gapless boundary excitations, which are robust under local perturbations, and thus exhibit both fundamental and applicational importance. An unconventional pairing with p-wave symmetry, such as a nontrivial topology in the superconductor's wavefunction, is required to generate a non-zero Berry phase. Until now, the Bi2Te3/2H-NbSe2 heterostructure has proven to be a practical way to realize a topological superconductor in real materials. This complex system, where odd numbers of spin-momentum locked Dirac cone surface states on the topological insulator Bi2Te3 become superconducting, induced by the proximate effect from the underlying s-wave superconductor 2H-NbSe2, realizes an effective two-dimensional (2D) spinless px + i py topological superconductor. In this review article, we summarize the recent experimental progress of the successful synthesis of Bi2Te3/2H-NbSe2 heterostructures using molecular beam epitaxy, determining the thickness limit of the heterostructure, detecting the long thought Majorana quasiparticle inside a magnetic vortex core state by means of scanning tunneling microscopy and demonstration of the unique spatial and spin properties of a Majorana zero mode.

ISSN 1674-1056   CN 11-5639/O4

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