title: Interplay between classical magnetic moments and superconductivity in quantum one-dimensional conductors: toward a self-sustained topological Majorana phase.
abstract: We study a one-dimensional interacting electronic liquid coupled to a 1D array of classical magnetic moments and to a superconductor. We show that at low energy and temperature the magnetic moments and the electrons become strongly entangled and that a magnetic spiral structure emerges. For strong enough coupling between the electrons and magnetic moments, the 1D electronic liquid is driven into a topological superconducting phase supporting Majorana fermions without any fine-tuning of external parameters. Our analysis applies at low enough temperature to a quantum wire in proximity to a superconductor when the hyperfine interaction between electrons and nuclear spins is taken into account, or to a chain of magnetic adatoms adsorbed on a superconducting surface.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Física Teórica de la Materia Condensada, Centro de Investigación de Física de la Materia Condensada, and Instituto Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Bernd
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Braunecker
authors.forename: Pascal
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Simon