Flat-band zero-energy states and anomalous proximity effects in <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi></mml:math>-wave magnet–superconductor hybrid systems

Flat-band zero-energy surface states of nodal $p$-wave superconductors give rise to striking electromagnetic anomalies, reflecting their high degree of degeneracy at the Fermi level. However, experimental investigations of these states have been limited because of the scarcity of materials exhibiting intrinsic $p$-wave superconductivity. In this paper, we demonstrate that surface flat bands can emerge in a hybrid system consisting of a conventional superconductor and a $p$-wave magnet, a recently proposed class of unconventional magnets that possess a unique composite symmetry, the $[{C}_{2\ensuremath{\perp}}||\mathbit{t}]$ symmetry. The degeneracy of the flat-band zero-energy surface states is protected by chiral symmetry from the BDI symmetry class, which originates from the $[{C}_{2\ensuremath{\perp}}||\mathbit{t}]$ symmetry of the $p$-wave magnet. In addition, we predict the robust appearance of a zero-bias conductance peak in a dirty normal-metal--superconductor junction containing a $p$-wave magnet, which serves as an unambiguous signature of anomalous proximity effects associated with the surface flat bands.