Quantum Ground State Control in Superconductor-Silicene Structures: 0-π transitions, φ₀-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 φ0 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.