Benefits of Weak Disorder in One-Dimensional Topological Superconductors

Abstract

Majorana bound states are zero-energy modes localized at the ends of a one-dimensional (1D) topological superconductor. Introducing disorder usually increases the Majorana localization length, until eventually inducing a topological phase transition to a trivial phase. In this work we show that in some cases weak disorder causes the Majorana localization length to decrease, making the topological phase more robust. Increasing the disorder further eventually leads to a change of trend and to a phase transition to a trivial phase. Interestingly the transition occurs at ξ_0 ≫ l, where l is the disorder mean-free path and ξ_0 is the localization length in the clean limit. Our results are particularly relevant to a 1D topological superconductors formed in planar Josephson junctions.