Anomalous Josephson effect induced by spin-orbit interaction and Zeeman effect in semiconductor nanowires

We investigate theoretically the Josephson junction of semiconductor nanowire with strong spin-orbit (SO) interaction in the presence of magnetic field. By using a tight-binding model, the energy levels $E_n$ of Andreev bound states are numerically calculated as a function of phase difference $φ$ between two superconductors in the case of short junctions. The DC Josephson current is evaluated from the Andreev levels. In the absence of SO interaction, a $0$-$π$ transition due to the magnetic field is clearly observed. In the presence of SO interaction, the coexistence of SO interaction and Zeeman effect results in $E_n (-φ) \ne E_n (φ)$, where the anomalous Josephson current flows even at $φ=0$. In addition, the direction-dependence of critical current is observed, in accordance with experimental results.

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