From Andreev Bound States to Majorana Bound States: Experimental Signatures in Nanowire Devices
In the last decade, topological superconductors have enjoyed enormous interest due to their possible application in quantum computing, as well as the relative accessibility of recipes claiming to realize this novel form of matter without use of exotic materials. In this talk I explain how these recipes — consisting of conventional superconductivity, spin-orbit effect, and a perpendicular Zeeman effect — create the conditions for topological superconductivity, with a focus on nanowire devices; how the presence of Majorana Bound States (MBS) can be a signature effect of this topological transition; and the similarities and differences of MBS with the more commonly observed Andreev Bound States (ABS). I review the considerable advancement of the field in recent years in the attempt to realize topological superconductors, as well as the common shortcomings of the attempts. At the end, an idealized experiment designed to elucidate the transition of ABS to MBS is proposed, and phase space of this transition is explored along several axes, in order to corroborate the evidence for the MBS to the extent possible.
Join the seminar on Teams or in QNC 1201!
Meeting link: IQC Student Seminar
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