Current-Controlled Majorana Bound States in Hybrid Semiconductor-Superconductor Nanowires Deposited on Magnetic Stripe Domains*

The fringing fields created by magnetic stripes formed in magnetic films [1] generate inhomogeneous magnetic textures on length scales as large as 2 microns. A hybrid semiconductor-superconductor nanowire deposited on the top of a magnetic film in the stripe phase experiences a large synthetic spin-orbit coupling resulting from the fringing fields [2] of the striped domains. We show that such a system can support the formation of Majorana bound states (MBS) localized at the ends of the wire. We investigate the transition to the topological superconducting phase as a function of the stripes size and orientation, which can be tuned by applying a charge current through the magnetic film. This produces changes in the fringing magnetic texture acting on the nanowire and eventually leads to a topological phase transition with the corresponding emergence or destruction of MBS [2]. The proposed platform is promising for electrically tuning MBS in a non-invasive way and without the need for external magnetic fields.

[1] A. D. Kent et al., J. of Phys.: Condens. Matter 13, R461 (2001).
[2] G. L. Fatin et al., Phys. Rev. Lett. 117, 077002 (2016); A. Matos-Abiague et al., Solid State Commun. 262, 1 (2017).