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  • Evidence for Helical Hinge ...
    Gray, Mason J; Freudenstein, Josef; Zhao, Shu Yang F; O’Connor, Ryan; Jenkins, Samuel; Kumar, Narendra; Hoek, Marcel; Kopec, Abigail; Huh, Soonsang; Taniguchi, Takashi; Watanabe, Kenji; Zhong, Ruidan; Kim, Changyoung; Gu, G. D; Burch, K. S

    Nano letters, 08/2019, Volume: 19, Issue: 8
    Journal Article

    Combining topology and superconductivity provides a powerful tool for investigating fundamental physics as well as a route to fault-tolerant quantum computing. There is mounting evidence that the Fe-based superconductor FeTe0.55Se0.45 (FTS) may also be topologically nontrivial. Should the superconducting order be s±, then FTS could be a higher order topological superconductor with helical hinge zero modes (HHZMs). To test the presence of these modes, we have fabricated normal-metal/superconductor junctions on different surfaces via 2D atomic crystal heterostructures. As expected, junctions in contact with the hinge reveal a sharp zero bias anomaly that is absent when tunneling purely into the c-axis. Additionally, the shape and suppression with temperature are consistent with highly coherent modes along the hinge and are incongruous with other origins of zero bias anomalies. Additional measurements with soft-point contacts in bulk samples with various Fe interstitial contents demonstrate the intrinsic nature of the observed mode. Thus, we provide evidence that FTS is indeed a higher order topological superconductor.