Skyrmion-induced subgap states in p-wave superconductors

Abstract

In s-wave systems, it has been theoretically shown that a ferromagnetic film hosting a skyrmion can induce a bound state embedded in the opposite-spin continuum. In this work, we consider a case of skyrmion-induced state in a p-wave superconductor. We find that the skyrmion induces a bound state that generally resides \emph{within} the spectral gap and is isolated from all other states, in contrast to the case of conventional superconductors. To this end, we derive an approximate expression for the $T$-matrix, through which we calculate the spin-polarized local density of states which is observable in scanning tunneling microscopy measurements. We find the unique spectroscopic features of the skyrmion-induced bound state and discuss how our predictions could be employed as novel experimental probes for p-wave superconducting states.