Gate-Defined Topological Josephson Junctions in Bernal Bilayer Graphene

Abstract

Recent experiments on Bernal bilayer graphene (BLG) deposited on monolayer WSe${}_2$ revealed robust, ultra-clean superconductivity coexisting with sizable induced spin-orbit coupling. Here we propose BLG/WSe${}_2$ as a platform to engineer gate-defined planar topological Josephson junctions, where the normal and superconducting regions descend from a common material. More precisely, we show that if superconductivity in BLG/WSe${}_2$ is gapped and emerges from a parent state with inter-valley coherence, then Majorana zero modes can form in the barrier region upon applying weak in-plane magnetic fields. Our results spotlight a potential pathway for `internally engineered' topological superconductivity that minimizes detrimental disorder and orbital-magnetic-field effects.

7 pages, 4 figures, plus supplementary material