Anomalous spin textures in a 2D topological superconductor induced by point impurities

Abstract

Topological superconductors are foreseen as good candidates for the search of Majorana zero modes, where they appear as edge states and can be used for quantum computation. In this context, it becomes necessary to study the robustness and behavior of electron states in topological superconductors when a magnetic or non-magnetic impurity is present. The focus is on scattering resonances in the bands and on spin texture to know what the spin behavior of the electrons in the system will be. It is found that the scattering resonances appear outside the superconducting gap, thus providing evidence of topological robustness. Non-trivial and anisotropic spin textures related to the Dzyaloshinskii–Moriya interaction are also found. The spin textures show a Ruderman–Kittel–Kasuya–Yosida interaction governed by Friedel oscillations. It is believed that the results are useful for further studies which consider many-point-impurity scattering or a more structured impurity potential with a finite range.