Engineering a p+ip Superconductor: Comparison of Topological Insulator and Rashba Spin-Orbit Coupled Materials. (arXiv:1103.2129v1 [cond-mat.supr-con])

We compare topological insulator materials and Rashba coupled surfaces as
candidates for engineering p+ip superconductivity. Specifically, in each type
of material we examine 1) the limitations to inducing superconductivity by
proximity to an ordinary s-wave superconductor, and 2) the robustness of the
resulting superconductivity against disorder. We find that topological
insulators have strong advantages in both regards: there are no fundamental
barriers to inducing superconductivity, and the induced superconductivity is
immune to disorder. In contrast, for Rashba coupled quantum wires or surface
states, the the achievable gap from induced superconductivity is limited unless
the Rashba coupling is large. Furthermore, for small Rashba coupling the
induced superconductivity is strongly susceptible to disorder. These features
pose serious difficulties for realizing p+ip superconductors in semiconductor
materials due to their weak spin-orbit coupling, and suggest the need to seek
alternatives. Some candidate materials are discussed.

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