Nagoya University · Physics and Astronomy
Professor Yukio Tanaka's research lab specializes in topological quantum materials and low-dimensional superconductivity, with a focus on engineering and detecting Majorana fermions in hybrid heterostructures. The lab investigates chiral and time-reversal invariant Majorana bound states in systems such as topological insulators, noncentrosymmetric superconductors, and Josephson junctions involving ferromagnetic insulators. Their work combines theoretical analysis with advanced experimental techniques like angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) to probe exotic surface states and nonreciprocal responses in quantum materials. A central theme is the interplay between spin-orbit coupling, superconductivity, and broken symmetries to realize topologically protected quasiparticles with potential applications in fault-tolerant quantum computing.
Figures are computed from collected data and may differ slightly.
We study theoretically the transport properties of a normal metal (N)/ferromagnet insulator (FI)/superconductor (S) junction and a S/FI/S junction formed on the surface of a three-dimensional topological insulator, where the chiral Majorana mode exists at the FI/S interface. We find the chiral Majorana mode generated in N/FI/S and S/FI/S junctions is very sensitively controlled by the direction of the magnetization m in the FI region. In particular, the current-phase relation of the Josephson cu
We study edge states of noncentrosymmetric superconductors where spin-singlet d-wave pairing mixes with spin-triplet p (or f)-wave one by spin-orbit coupling. For d(xy)-wave pairing, the obtained Andreev bound state has an anomalous dispersion as compared to conventional helical edge modes. A unique topologically protected time-reversal invariant Majorana bound state appears at the edge. The charge conductance in the noncentrosymmetric superconductor junctions reflects the anomalous structures o
We have performed systematic angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy of the topological crystalline insulator (TCI) Pb${}_{1\ensuremath{-}x}$Sn${}_{x}$Te to elucidate the evolution of its electronic states across the topological phase transition. As previously reported, the band structure of SnTe ($x=1.0$) measured on the (001) surface possesses a pair of Dirac-cone surface states located symmetrically across the $\overline{X}$ point in the (110) mirror plane. Upon approaching the topological
We have performed angle-resolved photoemission spectroscopy (ARPES) on the (111) surface of the topological crystalline insulator SnTe. Distinct from a pair of Dirac-cone surface states across the $\overline{X}$ point of the surface Brillouin zone on the (001) surface, we revealed two types of Dirac-cone surface states each centered at the $\overline{\ensuremath{\Gamma}}$ and $\overline{M}$ points, which originate from the bulk-band inversion at the $L$ points. We also found that the energy loca
Nonreciprocal responses of noncentrosymmetric quantum materials attracted recent intensive interests, which is essential for the rectification function in diodes. A recent breakthrough is the discovery of superconducting diode effect. The principle to enlarge the rectification effect is highly desired to guide the design of the superconducting diode. Here, we study theoretically the Josephson junction S/FI/S (S: $d$-wave superconductor, FI: ferromagnetic insulator) on the surface of a topologica
Abstract Majorana fermions are spin-1/2 neutral particles that are their own antiparticles; they were initially predicted by Ettore Majorana in particle physics but their observation still remains elusive. The concept of Majorana fermions has been borrowed by condensed matter physics, where, unlike particle physics, Majorana fermions emerge as zero-energy quasiparticles that can be engineered by combining electrons and holes and have therefore been called Majorana zero modes. In this review, we
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