Topological superconductivity at the edge of transition metal dichalcogenides

Abstract

Time-reversal breaking topological superconductors are new states of matter which can support Majorana zero modes at the edge. In this paper, we propose a new realization of one-dimensional topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes. The proposed system consists of a monolayer of transition metal dichalcogenides MX2 (M=Mo, W; X=S, Se) on top of a superconducting substrate. Based on first-principles calculations, we show that a zigzag edge of the monolayer MX2 terminated by metal atom M has edge states with strong spin-orbit coupling and spontaneous magnetization. By proximity coupling with a superconducting substrate, topological superconductivity can be induced at such an edge. We propose NbS2 as a natural choice of substrate, and estimate the proximity induced superconducting gap based on first-principles calculation and low energy effective model. As an experimental consequence of our theory, we predict that Majorana zero modes can be detected at the 120 degree corner of a MX2 flake in proximity with a superconducting substrate.

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• Theory of edge-state optical absorption in two-dimensional transition metal dichalcogenide flakes
• Lateral Interfaces of Transition Metal Dichalcogenides: A Stable Tunable One-Dimensional Physics Platform
• Strain induced topological phase transition at zigzag edges of monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides
• Green${}^{\prime }$s function approach to edge states in transition metal dichalcogenides
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• Reversible edge spin currents in antiferromagnetically proximitized dichalcogenides
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• Prediction of topological superconductivity in 1$T$-TiTe${}_2$ under pressure
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