Measurement of Superconductivity and Edge States in Topological Superconductor Candidate TaSe3
- 1 July 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by IOP Publishing in Chinese Physics Letters
Abstract
Topological superconductors (TSCs) have been widely investigated in recent years due to their novel physics and ability to host Majorana fermions (MFs) which are key to topological quantum computation. Despite the great interest, only a few compounds have been proposed as candidates of intrinsic TSCs, such as iron-based superconductor FeSe0.55Te0.45 and 2M-WS2. Among them, quasi-one-dimensional superconductor TaSe3 possesses fascinating properties such as its simple stoichiometry, layered nature and chemical stability. Here, using scanning tunneling microscope/spectroscopy (STM/STS), we systematically investigate the topography and electronic structure of TaSe3. Our STM/STS measurement reveals large atomically flat, defect-free surfaces suitable for the search of MF; electronic density of states consistent with our angle-resolved photoemission result and band-structure calculations, and a uniform superconducting gap with a typical size of ∼ 0.25 meV. Remarkably, additional edge states are observed in the vicinity of the terrace edge, suggesting they may have a topological origin. Our result proves the coexistence of superconductivity and topological electronic structure in TaSe3, making it an intriguing platform to investigate topological superconductivity.Keywords
This publication has 47 references indexed in Scilit:
- Anomalous Zero-Bias Conductance Peak in a Nb–InSb Nanowire–Nb Hybrid DeviceNano Letters, 2012
- Zero-bias peaks and splitting in an Al–InAs nanowire topological superconductor as a signature of Majorana fermionsNature Physics, 2012
- Maximally localized Wannier functions: Theory and applicationsReviews of Modern Physics, 2012
- Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire DevicesScience, 2012
- The Coexistence of Superconductivity and Topological Order in the Bi 2 Se 3 Thin FilmsScience, 2012
- Accurate Band Gaps of Semiconductors and Insulators with a Semilocal Exchange-Correlation PotentialPhysical Review Letters, 2009
- Non-Abelian anyons and topological quantum computationReviews of Modern Physics, 2008
- Proposal to stabilize and detect half-quantum vortices in strontium ruthenate thin films: Non-Abelian braiding statistics of vortices in asuperconductorPhysical Review B, 2006
- Effect of uniaxial stress on the transport properties ofPhysical Review B, 1986
- Direct Measurement of Quasiparticle-Lifetime Broadening in a Strong-Coupled SuperconductorPhysical Review Letters, 1978