Z$_2$ index theorem for Majorana zero modes in a class D topological superconductor

Abstract

We propose a Z$_2$ index theorem for a generic topological superconductor in class D. Introducing a particle-hole symmetry breaking term depending on a parameter and regarding it as a coordinate of an extra dimension, we define the index of the zero modes and corresponding topological invariant for such an extended Hamiltonian. It is shown that these are related with the number of the zero modes of the original Hamiltonian modulo two.

5 pages, 3 figures. v2: typos corrected