Majorana corner modes in transition metal dichalcogenides

  • Event Date: 2022-12-29
  • Computational quantum materials
  • Speaker: Prof. Yi-Ting Hsu (University of Notre Dame)  /  Host:
    Place: R307 Seminar Room, Cosmology Hall NTU

Title:Majorana corner modes in transition metal dichalcogenides
Time:2022/12/29 (Thur.) 14:00
Place:R307 Seminar Room, Cosmology Hall NTU

Abstract:
The material search for topological superconductors is fueled by the prediction of Majorana zero modes (MZM), which are exotic boundary excitations that are promising candidates for topological qubits. Yet, materials hosting topological superconductivity with MZMs are still rare to date. In this talk, I will show that MZM can occur at the corners of two- or three-dimensional inversion-symmetric superconductors without utilizing proximity effects. Using monolayer WTe2 and bulk MoTe2 as case studies, I will present comprehensive guiding principles for searching for such ‘higher-order’ topological superconductors derived from mathematically obtained topological invariants. Then, by combining DFT band structure calculations and pairing symmetry analyses, I will show that WTe2 and MoTe2 are promising candidates that satisfy the recipes and could host Majorana corner modes.