Electrical detection of topological quantum phase transitions in disordered Majorana nanowires

Abstract

We study a disordered superconducting nanowire, with broken time-reversal and spin-rotational symmetry, which can be driven into a topological phase with end Majorana bound states by an externally applied magnetic field. As a function of disorder strength, it is known that the Majorana nanowire has a delocalization quantum phase transition from a topologically nontrivial phase, which supports Majorana bound states, to a nontopological insulating phase without them. On both sides of the transition, the system is localized at zero energy albeit with very different topological properties. We exploit this deep connection between topology and localization properties to propose an electrical transport measurement to detect the localization-delocalization transition occurring in the bulk of the nanowire. The basic idea consists of measuring the difference of conductance at one end of the wire obtained at different values of the coupling to the opposite lead. We show that this measurement reveals the nonlocal correlations emergent only at the topological transition. Hence, while the proposed experiment does not directly probe the end Majorana bound states, it can provide direct evidence for the bulk topological quantum phase transition itself.

11 pages, 3 figures, minor edits, published version

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Cited by in corpus (24)

• Reproducing topological properties with quasi-Majorana states
• Measuring Majorana non-locality and spin structure with a quantum dot
• Zero-energy Andreev bound states from quantum dots in proximitized Rashba nanowires
• Andreev rectifier: a nonlocal conductance signature of topological phase transitions
• Conductance-matrix symmetries of a three-terminal hybrid device
• Nonlocal conductance spectroscopy of Andreev bound states: Symmetry relations and BCS charges
• Majorana wavefunction oscillations, fermion parity switches, and disorder in Kitaev chains
• Effects of the electrostatic environment on the Majorana nanowire devices
• Local and non-local quantum transport due to Andreev bound states in finite Rashba nanowires with superconducting and normal sections
• How to infer non-Abelian statistics and topological invariants from tunneling conductance properties of realistic Majorana nanowires
• Approaching a topological phase transition in Majorana nanowires
• End-to-end correlated subgap states in hybrid nanowires
• Presence versus absence of end-to-end nonlocal conductance correlations in Majorana nanowires: Majorana bound states versus Andreev bound states
• Bulk disorder in the superconductor affects proximity-induced topological superconductivity
• Non-locality of zero-bias anomalies in the topologically-trivial phase of Majorana wires
• Majorana bound states in a disordered quantum dot chain
• Tunneling transport in NSN junctions made of Majorana nanowires across the topological quantum phase transition
• Can non-local conductance spectra conclusively signal Majorana zero modes? -- Insights from von Neumann entropy
• Conductance of a Finite Kitaev Chain
• Effect of topological length on Bound states signatures in a Topological nanowire
• Nonlocality of local Andreev conductances as a probe for topological Majorana wires
• Probing zero-modes of defect in Kitaev quantum wire
• Effect of incommensurate disorder on the resonant tunneling through Majorana bound states on the topological superconductor chains
• Ising quantum criticality in Majorana nanowires