Vacancy Spectroscopy of Non-Abelian Kitaev Spin Liquids.
Phys Rev Lett
; 132(13): 136503, 2024 Mar 29.
Article
en En
| MEDLINE
| ID: mdl-38613268
ABSTRACT
Spin vacancies in the non-Abelian Kitaev spin liquid are known to harbor Majorana zero modes, potentially enabling topological quantum computing at elevated temperatures. Here, we study the spectroscopic signatures of such Majorana zero modes in a scanning tunneling setup where a non-Abelian Kitaev spin liquid with a finite density of spin vacancies forms a tunneling barrier between a tip and a substrate. Our key result is a well-defined peak close to zero bias voltage in the derivative of the tunneling conductance whose voltage and intensity both increase with the density of vacancies. This "quasi-zero-voltage peak" is identified as the closest analog of the zero-voltage peak observed in topological superconductors that additionally reflects the fractionalized nature of spin-liquid-based Majorana zero modes. We further highlight a single-fermion Van Hove singularity at a higher voltage that reveals the energy scale of the emergent Majorana fermions in the Kitaev spin liquid. Our proposed signatures are within reach of current experiments on the candidate material α-RuCl_{3}.
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Colección:
01-internacional
Base de datos:
MEDLINE
Idioma:
En
Revista:
Phys Rev Lett
Año:
2024
Tipo del documento:
Article
País de afiliación:
Estados Unidos
Pais de publicación:
Estados Unidos