Superconducting proximity effect in a synthetic helical liquid

We explore the possibility of a superconducting proximity effect in a synthetic helical liquid, formed in a quantum wire in the presence of a spatially periodic Rashba interaction [1]. The practicality and robustness of this novel scheme for producing a 1D p-wave superconductor is discussed [2].\\[4pt] [1] G. I. Japaridze, H. Johannesson, and M. Malard, Phys Rev B 89, 201403(R) (2014).\\[0pt] [2] M. Malard, G. I. Japaridze, and H. Johannesson, in preparation.