Candidate for Visiting Assistant Professor in Physics

Majorana Bound States in Dots, Chains, and Wires

Majorana bound states are chargeless and spinless states that reside at the end of one-dimensional topological superconductors. Their potential use as topologically stable quantum memory has compelled many experimentalists to synthesize topological superconductors in hybrid nanostructures with strong spin orbit interactions by coupling nanowires or magnetic adatoms to superconductors. Although experiments have provided evidence for Majorana bound states, a smoking gun confirmation of their existence has been elusive. Even more challenging is the operation of a Majorana qubit which has not yet been experimentally realized. To overcome these challenges, we propose alternative nanostructures which utilize quantum dots, chains of magnetic atoms, and nanowires coupled to topological superconductors to realize, detect, and manipulate Majorana bound states.