Half-metallic Surface States and Topological Superconductivity in NaCoO${}_2$ from first principles

Abstract

Based on first-principles calculations, we predict a half-metallic surface state in layered bulk insulator NaCoO2, with tunable surface hole concentration. The half-metallic surface has a single Fermi surface with a helical spin texture, similar to the surface state of topological insulators, but with the key difference of time-reversal symmetry breaking in the present case. We propose the realization of topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions when the half-metallic surface states are in proximity contact with a conventional superconductor.

Published as Rapid Communications in Phys. Rev. B 84, 060408(R) (2011) [4 pages]

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• High critical temperature nodal superconductors as building block for time-reversal invariant topological superconductivity
• Prediction of topological superconductivity in 1$T$-TiTe${}_2$ under pressure