High-Temperature Majorana Zero Modes

We employ analytical and numerical approaches to show that unpaired Majorana zero modes can occur in cores of Abrikosov vortices at the interface between a three-dimensional topological insulator, such as Bi2Se3, and a twisted bilayer of high-T-c cuprate superconductor, such as Bi2Sr2CaCu2O8+delta. When the twist angle is close to 45 degrees the latter has been predicted to form a fully gapped topological superconductor up to temperatures approaching its native T-c similar or equal to 90 K. Majorana zero modes in these structures will persist up to unprecedented high temperatures and, depending on the quality of the interface, may be protected by gaps with larger magnitudes than other candidate systems.

Automated summary

We utilize analytical and numerical approaches to demonstrate the presence of unpaired Majorana zero modes in the cores of Abrikosov vortices at the interface between a three-dimensional topological insulator and a twisted bilayer of high-T-c cuprate superconductor. These structures show the potential to form a fully gapped topological superconductor, even at high temperatures, and may possess larger magnitude gaps depending on the interface quality.