Chiral flat band superconductivity from symmetry-protected three-band crossings

Abstract

We show that chiral (nearly) flat band superconductivity can develop and host novel Majorana fermions at a time-reversal pair of symmetry-protected three-band crossing points. Based on symmetry analysis, mean-field study, and superfluid stiffness calculation, we determine and analyze the irreducible pairing channels with flat band pairings in the low-energy spin-1 fermion theory. Flat band pairing can enhance superconductivity dramatically, where the critical temperature scales linearly in the interaction strength. While fully gapped flat band pairing states develop in the single-component pairing channels, we find chiral p[over ¯]±ip[over ¯] flat band superconductivity in the multicomponent pairing channels. Three-dimensional itinerant Majorana fermions arise at the bulk nodal points, whereas Majorana arcs appear on the surface.