Quantum ground state control in superconductor-silicene structures: $0$-$π$ transitions, $φ_0$-junctions, and Majorana bound states

Abstract

We demonstrate theoretically that proximity-induced superconductivity in silicene offers the possibility to exert strong quantum ground state control. We show that electrically controlled $0$-$π$ transitions occur in Josephson junctions in the presence of an exchange field due to the buckling of the silicene lattice. We also discover that zigzag-oriented interfaces, featuring intervalley scattering, cause a $φ_0$ state with an applied electric field. Finally, we demonstrate that Majorana bound states along the silicene edge are tunable via the edge orientation, electric, and in-plane spin exchange fields.

5 pages, 4 figures + Supplemental material