Random Interactions
The search for topologically degenerate Majorana modes in semiconductor/superconductor interfaces
by Dr. Jay Sau (Harvard University)
Monday, December 17, 2012
from
to
(Asia/Kolkata)
at Colaba Campus ( A304 )
at Colaba Campus ( A304 )
Description |
Majorana fermions are fermion-like excitations that were originally proposed in particle physics by Ettore Majorana and are characterized as being their own anti-particles. The possibility of discovering Majorana fermions as emergent fractionalized excitations in condensed matter systems has lead to a lot of excitement because of the topologically protected degeneracy associated with such excitations. In this talk, I will discuss a recent set of proposals for realizing Majorana modes in a large class of spin-orbit coupled, time-reversal symmetry broken superconducting systems. The simplicity of this class of systems has resulted in several experimental attempts, which have successfully observed preliminary evidence for the Majorana modes in the form of zero-bias conductance peaks and doubled Shapiro steps. Following this I will then discuss future possibilities in terms of modifications to the experiments to help confirm the presence of Majorana modes. Possible ways of manipulating the Majorana modes and probing their non-local properties will also be discussed. |