New class of topological superconductors protected by magnetic group symmetries

Abstract

We study a new type of three-dimensional topological superconductors that exhibit Majorana zero modes (MZM) protected by a magnetic group symmetry, a combined antiunitary symmetry composed of a mirror reflection and time-reversal. This new symmetry enhances the noninteracting topological classification of a superconducting vortex from $Z_2$ to $Z$, indicating that multiple MZMs can coexist at the end of one magnetic vortex of unit flux. Specially, we show that a vortex binding two MZMs can be realized on the $(001)$-surface of a topological crystalline insulator SnTe with proximity induced BCS Cooper pairing, or in bulk superconductor In$_x$Sn$_{1-x}$Te.