Spin-polarized Andreev tunneling through the Rashba chain

Abstract

We demonstrate that the selective equal spin Andreev reflection (SESAR) spectroscopy can be used in STM experiments to distinguish the zero-energy Majorana quasiparticles from the ordinary fermionic states of the Rashba chain. Such technique, designed for probing the p-wave superconductivity, could be applied to the intersite pairing of equal-spin electrons in the chain of magnetic Fe atoms deposited on the superconducting Pb substrate. Our calculations of the effective pairing amplitude for individual spin components imply the magnetically polarized Andreev conductance, which can be used to `filter' the Majorana quasiparticles from the ordinary in-gap states, although the pure spin current (i.e., perfect polarization) is impossible.