paper

Analytical classification of Majorana zero-mode spatial profiles in extended Kitaev chains: probability maxima can shift inward

arXiv:2506.20182 · doi:10.1088/1361-648X/ae643a

Abstract

Topological phases in one-dimensional superconducting systems are commonly characterized by symmetry-protected invariants. These invariants determine the number of Majorana zero-energy boundary modes but do not specify their corresponding spatial structure. In this work, we present an analytical study of Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in an extended Kitaev chain with nearest- and next-nearest-neighbor couplings. By expressing the Hamiltonian in the Majorana basis, we derive a recursion relation whose characteristic roots completely determine the spatial structure of the zero modes and yield closed-form expressions for their amplitudes. We show that, even within a single topological phase, the MZMs can exhibit qualitatively distinct decay behaviors - monotonic decay, oscillatory decay, and perfectly localized states. Remarkably, boundary-origin MZMs need not have their maximum probability at the edge of the chain. They can instead exhibit maxima at interior lattice sites with an exponentially decaying envelope from either side of the maxima. Furthermore, the characteristic roots determine the length scale required for finite chains to reproduce the semi-infinite MZM structure, providing a direct link between Hamiltonian parameters, finite-size effects, and experimentally observable spatial profiles.

23 pages, 12 figures. Published in Journal of Physics: Condensed Matter (2026)

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