Topological indices, defects and Majorana fermion in chiral superconductors

Daichi Asahi, Naoto Nagaosa

Published 2012-03-30Version 1

We study theoretically the role of topological invariants to protect the Majorana fermions in a model of two-dimensional chiral superconductors which belong to class D of topological periodic table. A rich phase diagram is revealed. Each phase is characterized by the topological invariants for 2d (Z) and 1d (Z2), which lead to the Majorana fermion at the edge of the dislocation and the core of the vortex. Interference of the Majorana fermions originated from the different topological invariants is studied. The stability of the Majorana fermion with respect to the interlayer coupling, i.e., in 3d, is also examined.