Sandia National Laboratories, Albuquerque, New Mexico 87185, USA.
Sandia National Laboratories, Livermore, California 94551, USA.
Phys Rev Lett. 2018 Apr 27;120(17):177704. doi: 10.1103/PhysRevLett.120.177704.
Cd_{3}As_{2} is a three-dimensional topological Dirac semimetal with connected Fermi-arc surface states. It has been suggested that topological superconductivity can be achieved in the nontrivial surface states of topological materials by utilizing the superconductor proximity effect. Here we report observations of both π and 4π periodic supercurrents in aluminum-Cd_{3}As_{2}-aluminum Josephson junctions. The π period is manifested by both the magnetic-field dependence of the critical supercurrent and the appearance of half-integer Shapiro steps in the ac Josephson effect. Our macroscopic theory suggests that the π period arises from interference between the induced bulk superconductivity and the induced Fermi-arc surface superconductivity. The 4π period is manifested by the missing first Shapiro steps and is expected for topological superconductivity.
Cd_{3}As_{2} 是一种具有连通费米弧表面态的三维拓扑狄拉克半金属。有人提出,通过利用超导体近邻效应,可以在拓扑材料的非平凡表面态中实现拓扑超导。在这里,我们报告了在铝-Cd_{3}As_{2}-铝约瑟夫森结中观察到的 π 和 4π 周期性超导电流。π 周期表现为临界超导电流对磁场的依赖性以及交流约瑟夫森效应中出现的半整数夏皮罗台阶。我们的宏观理论表明,π 周期是由感应体超导电性和感应费米弧表面超导电性之间的干涉引起的。4π 周期表现为第一夏皮罗台阶的缺失,这是拓扑超导的预期表现。