Global Properties of 3D Topological Insulator Surface/Superconductor Junctions

The ability to precisely find and manipulate non-Abelian anyons\footnote{A. Kitaev, \textit{Ann. Phys (N.Y.)} \textbf{303}, 2 (2003).} has long been sought after as a potential means for the realization of robust quantum information processing. The simplest of these particles, Majorana fermions, have been predicted to exist in a new class of materials commonly referred to as topological insulators\footnote{B. A. Bernevig and S. C. Zhang, \textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{96}, 106802 (2006).} when they are coupled with s-wave superconducting contacts.\footnote{L. Fu and C. L. Kane, \textit{Phys. Rev. Lett.} \textbf{100}, 096407 (2008).} This proposal is the focus of intense experimental research whose aim is to prove the existence of Majorana fermions trapped at the surface of topological insulators paired with superconductors. We will present our initial theoretical investigations into the surface properties of 3D topological insulator/superconductor junctions.