Majorana Zero Modes and Topological Nature in Bi2Ta3S6-family Superconductors

Abstract

In this work, we report that Bi2Ta3S6-family superconductors exhibit nontrivial band topology. They possess a natural quantum-well structure consisting of alternating stacks of TaS2 and honeycomb Bi layers, which contribute superconducting and topological properties, respectively. Symmetry-based indicators $({\mathbb{Z}}_4;{\mathbb{Z}}_2{\mathbb{Z}}_2{\mathbb{Z}}_2)=(2;000)$ reveal that the topological nature arises entirely from the Bi layers, which belong to a quantum spin Hall phase characterized by a $p_x-p_y$ model on a honeycomb lattice. The topological zigzag (ZZ) and armchair (AC) edge states are obtained. Using VASP2KP, the in-plane $g$ factors of these topological edge states are computed from the ab initio calculations: $g_{x/y}^{\mathrm{ZZ}}=2.07/1.60$ and $g_{x/y}^{\mathrm{AC}}=0.50/0.06$. The strong anisotropy of the edge-state $g$ factors allows us to explore Majorana zero modes in the Bi monolayer on a superconductor, which can be obtained by exfoliation or molecular beam epitaxy. The relaxed structures of the Bi2Ta3Se6, Bi2Nb3S6 and Bi2Nb3Se6 are obtained. Their superconducting transition temperature $T_c$ are estimated based on the electron-phonon coupling and the McMillan formula. Furthermore, using the experimental superconducting gap $\Delta$ and the computed $g$ factors, we obtain the phase diagram, which shows that the in-plane field $B_y>2.62\mathrm{T}$ can generate corner Majorana zero modes in the Bi monolayer of the superconductor Bi2Ta3S6. A similar paradigm also applies to the Bi2Ta3S6 bulk with the emergence of Majorana hinge states. These natural quantum-well superconductors therefore offer ideal platforms for exploring topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes.

5 pages, 5 figures

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