Gapfull and gapless one-dimensional topological superconductivity in spin-orbit-coupled bilayer graphene

Abstract

We propose a way to generate a one-dimensional topological superconductor from a monolayer of a transition metal dichalcogenide coupled to a Bernal-stacked bilayer of graphene under a displacement field. With proper gating, this structure may be tuned to form three parallel pads of superconductors creating two planar Josephson junctions in series, in which normal regions separate the superconductors. Two characteristics of the system, which are essential for our discussion, are spin orbit coupling induced by the transition metal dichalcogenides and the variation of the Fermi velocities along the Fermi surface. We demonstrate that these two characteristics lead to one-dimensional topological superconductivity occupying large parts in the parameter space defined by the two phase differences across the two junctions and the relative angle between the junctions and the lattice. An angle-shaped device in which this angle varies in space, combined with proper phase tuning, can lead to the formation of domain walls between topological and trivial phases, supporting a zero-energy Majorana mode, within the bulk of carefully designed devices. We derive the spectrum of the Andreev bound states and show that Ising spin-orbit coupling leaves the topological superconductor gapless, and the Rashba spin-orbit coupling opens a gap in its spectrum. Our analysis shows that the transition to a gapped topological state is a result of the band inversion of Andreev states.

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