Study observes the coexistence of topological edge states and superconductivity in stanene films

Ingrid Fadelli is a writer for the website Phys.org.

The atoms in Stanene are arranged in a similar way to those in Graphene. Stanene films have been found to be promising for the realization of many intriguing physics phases.

A state that is particularly valuable for the development of quantum computing technology can be found in these films. The edges of stanene have not been consistently observed in experimental settings.

The coexistence of edge states and superconductivity in one to five-layer stanene films has recently been demonstrated by researchers in China. Implications for the development of Stanene-based quantum devices could be seen in their observations.

The first report on the successful growth of a stanene monoatomic layer was published in 2015. The Bi 2 Te 3 substrate imposes a strain on the stanene layer that leads to an unfavorable overlap between the bands.

Building on previous findings, Jia's team and other research groups worldwide have been trying to realize topological superconductivity in stanene placed on various substrates with larger lattice constraints. Very few had succeeded.

To build efficient quantum computing technologies based on stanene films, physicists will first have to identify a substrates that can be used to grow stable stanene. This is what the group of people wrote in their paper.

The ultimate goal of the recent paper is to get the superconductor in stanene. The more recent theoretical study pointed to the Bi(111) substrates.

At an ultralow temperature of 400mK, Jia and his colleagues collected the results of their experiments. They were able to detect the edge states of their stanene samples using these methods.

"Our first-principles calculations further confirmed the nontrivial topology of those films, and the vital importance of significant spin-orbitalcoupling provided by the Bi(111) substrates," he said. In altering the growth mode, hydrogen is indispensable.

The recent work by this team of researchers clearly shows the existence of superconductivity in stanene films. The sample of these states shows that the two properties are encompassed within a single element system.

The short bilateral penetration lengths of the edge states are favorable for the development of low loss conducting devices. The stanene film platform could be used to develop fewer stanene layers.

The next step is to create boundaries for the closed loop edge channel in order to realize Majorana zero modes. The goal of the group is to realize the braiding operation of the Majorana modes and push forward into quantum computing.

More information: Chenxiao Zhao et al, Coexistence of Robust Edge States and Superconductivity in Few-Layer Stanene, Physical Review Letters (2022). DOI: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.128.206802 Journal information: Physical Review Letters

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