Probing Majorana bound states via thermoelectric transport

Abstract

We propose a set of thermoelectric experiments based on Aharonov-Bohm interferometry to probe Majorana bound states (MBS), which are generated in 2D topological insulators (TI) in the presence of superconducting and ferromagnetic correlations via the proximity effect. The existence and nature (coupled or uncoupled) of these MBS can be determined by studying the charge and heat transport, specifically, the behavior of various thermoelectric coefficients like the Seebeck coefficient, Peltier coefficient, thermal conductance, and violations of Wiedemann-Franz law as a function of the Fermi energy and Aharonov-Bohm flux piercing the TI ring with the embedded MBS.