Vortex bound states and Majorana zero mode in electron-doped FeSe-based high-temperature superconductor

Abstract

As a novel quantum state in condensed matter physics, Majorana zero mode has become a popular research topic at present because of its potential value in topological quantum computing. Theory predicts that Majorana zero mode appears in the vortex core of the topological superconductor as a unique bound state. However, due to various factors such as the existence of conventional low energy bound states or impurity states, it is difficult to identify the Majorana zero mode and to put it into the specific applications. Nowadays, it is still urgent to find a suitable topological superconducting system and identify the clean Majorana zero mode in experiment. In this paper, we study the vortex states of electron-doped iron-selenium-based superconductors (Li, Fe)OHFeSe and single-layer FeSe/SrTiO₃ with extremely high energy resolution STM. There exists a robust and clean Majorana zero mode in the free vortex core of (Li, Fe)OHFeSe, which has the quantized conductance. As for single-layer FeSe/SrTiO₃ film, it has only conventional Caroli-de Gennes-Matricon (CdGM) bound states without zero energy mode. These experimental results provide a suitable platform for further studying the physical properties of Majorana zero mode, and also shed light on the source of topological superconductivity in iron-based superconductors.