Manipulating Andreev and Majorana bound states with microwaves

Joseph Weston (1) , Benoit Gaury (1) , Xavier Waintal (1, 2)

1 SPSMS - UMR 9001 - Service de Physique Statistique, Magnétisme et Supraconductivité
2 GT - Laboratory of Quantum Theory

We study the interplay between Andreev (Majorana) bound states that form at the boundary of a (topological) superconductor and a train of microwave pulses. We find that the extra dynamical phase coming from the pulses can shift the phase of the Andreev reflection, resulting in the appearance of dynamical Andreev states. As an application we study the presence of the zero bias peak in the differential conductance of a normal-topological superconductor junction-the simplest, yet somehow ambiguous, experimental signature for Majorana states. Adding microwave radiation to the measuring electrodes acts as a probe of the Andreev nature of the zero bias peak

Domaines: Physique [physics]

Joseph Weston, Benoit Gaury, Xavier Waintal. Manipulating Andreev and Majorana bound states with microwaves. Physical Review B: Condensed Matter and Materials Physics (1998-2015), 2015, 92 (2), pp.020513(R). ⟨10.1103/PhysRevB.92.020513⟩. ⟨hal-02007828⟩