Amorphous topological superconductivity in a Shiba glass.

ABSTRACT: Topological states of matter support quantised nondissipative responses and exotic quantum particles that cannot be accessed in common materials. The exceptional properties and application potential of topological materials have triggered a large-scale search for new realisations. Breaking away from the popular trend focusing almost exclusively on crystalline symmetries, we introduce the Shiba glass as a platform for amorphous topological quantum matter. This system consists of an ensemble of randomly distributed magnetic atoms on a superconducting surface. We show that subgap Yu-Shiba-Rusinov states on the magnetic moments form a topological superconducting phase at critical density despite a complete absence of spatial order. Experimental signatures of the amorphous topological state can

SUBMITTER: Poyhonen K 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC5974401 | biostudies-literature | 2018 May

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature