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Role of topology and symmetry for the edge currents of a two-dimensional superconductor
- Source :
- Physical Review Research, 4 (1)
- Publication Year :
- 2022
- Publisher :
- American Physical Society, 2022.
-
Abstract
- The bulk-boundary correspondence guarantees topologically protected edge states in a two-dimensional topological superconductor. Unlike in topological insulators, these edge states are, however, not connected to a quantized (spin) current as the electron number is not conserved in a Bogolyubov-de Gennes Hamiltonian. Still, edge currents are in general present. Here we use the two-dimensional Rashba system as an example to systematically analyze the effect symmetry reductions have on the order-parameter mixing and the edge properties in a superconductor of Altland-Zirnbauer class DIII (time-reversal-symmetry preserving) and D (time-reversal-symmetry breaking). In particular, we employ both Ginzburg-Landau and microscopic modeling to analyze the bulk superconducting properties and edge currents appearing in a strip geometry. We find edge (spin) currents independent of bulk topology and associated topological edge states which evolve continuously even when going through a phase transition into a topological state. Our findings emphasize the importance of symmetry over topology for the understanding of the nonquantized edge currents.<br />Physical Review Research, 4 (1)<br />ISSN:2643-1564
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 26431564
- Database :
- OpenAIRE
- Journal :
- Physical Review Research, 4 (1)
- Accession number :
- edsair.doi.dedup.....b45a1bcbf4c6c6d82ea865cbbce400f0