Majorana fermions in a tunable semiconductor device
TLDR
In this article, a topological superconducting phase supporting Majorana fermions can be realized using surprisingly conventional building blocks: a semiconductor quantum well coupled to an s-wave superconductor and a ferromagnetic insulator.Abstract:
The experimental realization of Majorana fermions presents an important problem due to their non-Abelian nature and potential exploitation for topological quantum computation. Very recently Sau et al. [Phys. Rev. Lett. 104, 040502 (2010)] demonstrated that a topological superconducting phase supporting Majorana fermions can be realized using surprisingly conventional building blocks: a semiconductor quantum well coupled to an s-wave superconductor and a ferromagnetic insulator. Here we propose an alternative setup, wherein a topological superconducting phase is driven by applying an in-plane magnetic field to a (110)-grown semiconductor coupled only to an s-wave superconductor. This device offers a number of advantages, notably a simpler architecture and the ability to tune across a quantum phase transition into the topological superconducting state while still largely avoiding unwanted orbital effects. Experimental feasibility of both setups is discussed in some detail.read more
Citations
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Topological insulators and superconductors
Xiao-Liang Qi,Shou-Cheng Zhang +1 more
TL;DR: Topological superconductors are new states of quantum matter which cannot be adiabatically connected to conventional insulators and semiconductors and are characterized by a full insulating gap in the bulk and gapless edge or surface states which are protected by time reversal symmetry.
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Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire Devices
Vincent Mourik,K. Zuo,Sergey Frolov,Sebastien Plissard,Epam Erik Bakkers,Epam Erik Bakkers,Leo P. Kouwenhoven +6 more
TL;DR: Electrical measurements on indium antimonide nanowires contacted with one normal (gold) and one superconducting (niobium titanium nitride) electrode support the hypothesis of Majorana fermions in Nanowires coupled to superconductors.
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Majorana fermions in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowire devices
Vincent Mourik,K. Zuo,D. J. van Woerkom,F.R. de Vries,Önder Gül,Hao Zhang,M.A.W. de Moor,Diana Car,Erik P. A. M. Bakkers,Leo P. Kouwenhoven +9 more
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New directions in the pursuit of Majorana fermions in solid state systems.
TL;DR: In this article, a review of recent advances in the condensed matter search for Majorana fermions is presented, which has led many in the field to believe that this quest may soon bear fruit.
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Zero-bias peaks and splitting in an Al–InAs nanowire topological superconductor as a signature of Majorana fermions
TL;DR: In this paper, the existence of Majorana fermions in the one-dimensional topological superconductor induced by placing an aluminium super-conductor close to an indium-arsenide nanowire was shown.
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