Optimizing spin-orbit splittings in InSb Majorana nanowires

Abstract

Semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures represent a promising platform for the detection of Majorana zero modes and subsequently the processing of quantum information using their exotic non-Abelian statistics. Theoretical modeling of such low-dimensional semiconductors is generally based on phenomenological effective models. However, a more microscopic understanding of their band structure and, especially, of the spin-orbit coupling of electrons in these devices is important for optimizing their parameters for applications in quantum computing. In this paper, we approach this problem by first obtaining a highly accurate effective tight-binding model from ab initio calculations in the bulk. This model is symmetrized and correctly reproduces both the band structure and the wavefunction character. It is then used to determine Dresselhaus and Rashba spin-orbit splittings induced by finite size effects and external electric field in zincblende InSb one- and two-dimensional nanostructures as a function of growth parameters. The method presented here enables reliable simulations of realistic devices, including those used to realize exotic topological states.

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• Triple Point Topological Metals
• Effects of gate-induced electric fields on semiconductor Majorana nanowires
• Topological Phases in InAs${}_{1-x}$Sb${}_x$: From Novel Topological Semimetal to Majorana Wire
• First-principles studies of orbital and spin-orbit properties of GaAs, GaSb, InAs, and InSb zinc-blende and wurtzite semiconductors
• Spin-orbit coupling effects in zinc-blende InSb and wurtzite InAs nanowires: Realistic calculations with multiband $\vec{k}\cdot \vec{p}$ method
• 2D THz spectroscopic investigation of ballistic conduction-band electron dynamics in InSb
• Improved effective equation for the Rashba spin-orbit coupling in semiconductor nanowires
• DFT2kp: effective kp models from ab-initio data
• On the impact of strain on the electronic properties of InAs/GaSb quantum well systems
• Valley and spin splittings in PbSe nanowires
• A unified numerical approach to semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures
• Theory for electron and hole fine structure and Landé g-factors in lead chalcogenide nanowires