Full-scale quantum computing will require the capability for error-tolerant quantum information processing. Unlike the more familiar Dirac fermions, each of which has a corresponding antiparticle, a Majorana fermion serves as its own antiparticle. Majorana fermions are suitable for error-tolerant quantum information processing because they are governed by non-Abelian statistics and their quantum states are thus topologically protected against most local perturbations. Our strategy for generating Majorana fermions is to combine helical surface states of topological insulators with superconductors. Through combined electrical and magnetic gating, we are working toward a long-term capability to create and manipulate Majorana fermions over a scalable network.
