Pasquale Marra, PhD

I am a theoretical condensed matter physicist, formerly at the Graduate School of Mathematical Sciences, University of Tokyo.

I am now Assistant Professor at Sophia University, Faculty of Science and Technology.

I am interested in topological states of matter, superconductivity, and quantum computation. My recent work is focussed on Majorana bound states and emergent supersymmetry in topological superconductors, and more generally on the emergence of topological phases induced by spatially modulated fields, in quantum nanostructures as well as in cold atoms trapped by coherent laser beams (optical lattices).

12/2019 - present
Researcher at the Department of Mathematical Sciences, The University of Tokyo, and visiting researcher at the Department of Physics, Keio University (Japan)

4/2019 - 11/2019
Researcher at the Department of Physics, Keio University (Japan)

2/2017 - 3/2019
Researcher in the Quantum System Theory Research Team, RIKEN Center for Emergent Matter Science (Japan)

2/2014 - 10/2016
Researcher at CNR (National Research Council), Salerno (Italy)

4/2010 - 1/2014
Ph. D. student at the Institute for Theoretical Solid State Physics (ITF), IFW Dresden (Germany)

Funding

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (KAKENHI), Grant number 23K13028 awarded in 2023 by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Grant-in-Aid for Early-Career Scientists (KAKENHI), Grant number 20K14375 awarded in 2020 by the Japan Society for the Promotion of Science (JSPS)

Education

10/2015
Ph. D. at the Technische Universität Dresden (Germany)

7/2009
Master’s Degree in Physics at the University of Salerno (Italy)

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Publications

Topological states of matter

1. "Zero energy modes with gaussian, exponential, or polynomial decay: Exact solutions in hermitian and nonhermitian regimes", Marra, Nigro,
   Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics 2025
2. "Topological zero modes and bounded modes at smooth domain walls: Exact solutions and dualities", Marra, Nigro,
   Progress of Theoretical and Experimental Physics 2025 (2), 023A01 arXiv:2408.16466
3. "Majorana modes in striped two-dimensional inhomogeneous topological superconductors", Marra, Inotani, Mizushima, Nitta,
   npj Quantum Mater. 9, 59 (2024) arXiv:2312.08439
   Popular summary on Kudos:
   Majorana zero modes and topologically nontrivial stripes induced by inhomogeneous superconductivity
   and on Springer Nature Research Communities:
   Majorana zero modes induced by inhomogeneous superconductivity
4. "Hofstadter-Toda spectral duality and quantum groups", Marra, Proietti, Sheng,
   J. Math. Phys. 65, 071903 (2024) arXiv:2312.14242
   Popular summary on Kudos:
   An exact formula for the energy spectra of the Hofstadter butterfly
5. "Majorana nanowires for topological quantum computation", Marra
   J. Appl. Phys. 132, 231101 (2022) arXiv:2206.14828
   Popular summary on Kudos:
   Majorana states in nanowires: towards topological quantum computers
   This work is highlighted in the 2022 Early Career Investigator Selection of the Journal of Applied Physics and on nLab
6. "Braiding with Majorana lattices: Groundstate degeneracy and supersymmetry", Marra, Inotani, Nitta,
   JPS Conf. Proc. 38, 011183 (2023) arXiv:2207.10103
7. "1D Majorana Goldstinos and partial supersymmetry breaking in quantum wires", Marra, Inotani, Nitta
   Commun. Phys. 5, 149 (2022) arXiv:2106.09039
8. "Dispersive 1D Majorana modes with emergent supersymmetry in 1D proximitized superconductors via spatially modulated potentials and magnetic fields", Marra, Inotani, Nitta
   Phys. Rev. B 105, 214525 (2022) arXiv:2106.09047
9. "Majorana/Andreev crossover and the fate of the topological phase transition in inhomogeneous nanowires", Marra, Nigro
   J. Phys.: Condens. Matter 34 124001 (2022) arXiv:2112.00757
10. "Competition and interplay between topology and quasi-periodic disorder in Thouless pumping of ultracold atoms", Nakajima, Takei, Sakuma, Kuno, Marra, Takahashi
    Nature Physics 17, 844–849 (2021) arXiv:2007.06817
    Thouless ポンプにおける乱れの効果を検証 ―トポロジカル量子現象と乱れの競合と協奏
11. "Topologically quantized current in quasiperiodic Thouless pumps", Marra, Nitta
    Phys. Rev. Res. 2, 042035(R) (2020) arXiv:2001.11022
12. "Topologically nontrivial Andreev bound states", Marra, Nitta
    Phys. Rev. B 100, 220502(R) (2019) arXiv:1907.05416
13. "Degeneracy lifting of Majorana bound states due to electron-phonon interactions", Aseev, Marra, Stano, Klinovaja, Loss
    Phys. Rev. B 99, 205435 (2019) arXiv:1903.12066
14. Editorial for the volume "Topological states of matter: theory and applications", Citro, Marra, Romeo
    Eur. Phys. J. Special Topics, 227, 1291–1294 (2018)
15. "A zero-dimensional topologically nontrivial state in a superconducting quantum dot", Marra, Braggio, Citro
    Beilstein J. Nanotechnol. 2018, 9, 1705-1714 (2018) arXiv:1804.06415
16. "Fractional quantization of charge and spin in topological quantum pumps", Marra, Citro
    Eur. Phys. J. Spec. Top. 226: 2781 (2017) arXiv:1703.03815
17. "Controlling Majorana states in topologically inhomogeneous superconductors", Marra, Cuoco
    Phys. Rev. B 95, 140504(R) (2017) arXiv:1606.08450
18. "Signatures of topological phase transitions in Josephson current-phase discontinuities", Marra, Citro, Braggio
    Phys. Rev. B 93, 220507(R) (2016) arXiv:1508.01799
    Included in the Highlights 2016 of CNR Institute SPIN (Italy)
19. "Fractional quantization of the topological charge pumping in a one-dimensional superlattice", Marra, Citro, Ortix
    Phys. Rev. B 91, 125411 (2015) arXiv:1408.4457
    This paper is a Highly Cited Paper according to Thomson Reuters
    As of November/December 2015, this paper received enough citations to place it in the top 1% of its academic field based on a highly cited threshold for the field and publication year



Unconventional superconductors

20. "Superconductivity induced by structural reorganization in electron-doped cuprate NCCO", Guarino, Autieri, Marra, Leo, Grimaldi, Avella, Nigro
    Phys. Rev. B 105, 014512 (2022) arXiv:2012.13399
21. "Dimensionality of superconductivity in the transition metal pnictide WP", Nigro, Cuono, Marra, Leo, Grimaldi, Liu, Mi, Wu, Liu, Autieri, Luo, Noce
    Materials 15(3), 1027 (2022) arXiv:2009.07849
22. "Resistivity measurements unveil microscopic properties of CrAs", Nigro, Marra, Autieri, Wu, Cheng, Luo, Noce
    EPL 125, 57002 (2019) arXiv:1812.09957
23. "Quenching current by flux-flow instability in iron-chalcogenides thin films", Leo, Grimaldi, Guarino, Avitabile, Marra, Citro, Braccini, Bellingeri, Ferdeghini, Pace, Nigro
    IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 27, 7300405 (2017) arXiv:1706.00772
24. "Theoretical approach to resonant inelastic x-ray scattering in iron-based superconductors at the energy scale of the superconducting gap", Marra, Sykora, van den Brink,
    Sci. Rep. 6, 25386 (2016) arXiv:1405.5556
25. "Competition between intrinsic and extrinsic effects in the quenching of the superconducting state in FeSeTe thin films", Leo, Marra, Grimaldi, Citro, Kawale, Bellingeri, Ferdeghini, Pace, Nigro
    Phys. Rev. B 93, 054503 (2016) arXiv:1510.05662
    Included in the Highlights 2016 of CNR Institute SPIN (Italy)
26. "Stability mechanisms of high current transport in iron-chalcogenides superconducting films", Leo, Grimaldi, Marra, Citro, Avitabile, Guarino, Bellingeri, Kawale, Ferdeghini, Nigro, Pace
    IEEE Trans. Appl. Supercond. 26, 8001104 (2016) arXiv:1603.05980
27. "Resonant inelastic x-ray scattering as a probe of the phase and excitations of the order parameter of superconductors", Marra, Sykora, Wohlfeld, van den Brink
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 110, 117005 (2013) arXiv:1212.0112
28. "Unraveling orbital correlations with magnetic resonant inelastic x-ray scattering", Marra, Wohlfeld, van den Brink
    Phys. Rev. Lett. 109, 117401 (2012) arXiv:1205.4940
29. "Fingerprints of orbital physics in magnetic resonant inelastic x-ray scattering", Marra
    AIP Conf. Proc. 1485, 297 (2012) arXiv:1302.5028
30. "Paraconductivity of the K-doped SrFe₂As₂ superconductor", Marra, Nigro, Li, Chen, Wang, Luo, Noce
    New J. Phys. 14, 043001 (2012) arXiv:1203.6592

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