Self, CN, Pachos, JK orcid.org/0000-0002-9775-4436, Wootton, JR et al. (1 more author) (2017) Conformal energy currents on the edge of a topological superconductor. Physical Review B, 95 (11). 115141. ISSN 2469-9950
Abstract
The boundary of a two-dimensional topological superconductor can be modeled by a conformal field theory. Here we demonstrate the behaviors of this high level description emerging from a microscopic model at finite temperatures. To achieve that, we analyze the low-energy sector of Kitaev's honeycomb lattice model and probe its energy current. We observe that the scaling of the energy current with temperature reveals the central charge of the conformal field theory, which is in agreement with the Chern number of the bulk. Importantly, these currents can discriminate between distinct topological phases at finite temperatures. We assess the resilience of this measurement of the central charge under coupling disorder, bulk dimerization, and defects at the boundary, thus establishing it as a favorable means of experimentally probing topological superconductors.
Metadata
Item Type: | Article |
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Authors/Creators: |
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Copyright, Publisher and Additional Information: | ©2017 American Physical Society. Reproduced in accordance with the publisher's self-archiving policy. |
Dates: |
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Institution: | The University of Leeds |
Academic Units: | The University of Leeds > Faculty of Engineering & Physical Sciences (Leeds) > School of Physics and Astronomy (Leeds) > Theoretical Physics (Leeds) |
Depositing User: | Symplectic Publications |
Date Deposited: | 26 Apr 2017 11:39 |
Last Modified: | 23 Jun 2023 22:28 |
Published Version: | https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.95.115141 |
Status: | Published |
Publisher: | American Physical Society |
Identification Number: | 10.1103/PhysRevB.95.115141 |
Open Archives Initiative ID (OAI ID): | oai:eprints.whiterose.ac.uk:115615 |