Two Majorana fermions (orange balls) are formed at the
end of the nanowire. Electrons enter the nanowire from the Gold contact,
and meet the Majorana fermion on the way. If the electron has the wrong
energy (red ball), it is reflected back into the contact. If it has the
right energy (green balls), it can go through the Majorana fermion via a
special interaction. © TU Delft 2012
(Phys.org) -- Researchers working out of Delft University
of Technology in the Netherlands have constructed a device that appears
to offer some evidence of the existence of Majorana fermions; the
elusive particles that are thought to be their own antiparticles. The
team, as they describe in their paper published in Science,
created a device with a topological superconductor that was also able to
measure the relationship between current and voltage at significant
points on a nanowire which when in the presence of a magnetic field or
electrical current, indicated the existence of Majorana fermions.
Enlarge
The
device is made of an Indium Antemonide nanowire, covered with a Gold
contact and partially covered with a Superconducting Niobium contact.
The Majorana fermions are created at the end of the Nanowire. © TU Delft
2012
To try to show that Majorana fermions can be observed, the team
built a device that employed the use of a topological superconductor,
which is a material that has an inner part that has zero electrical resistance
while the outer part is a normal conductor. Prior to this experiment,
theorists had predicted that such a material would have Majorana
fermions in it.
To create a device that would have both the right material and a
means of measuring Majorana fermions, the team connected an indium
antimonide nanowire in between an electrode made of gold and the end of a
superconducting material. They then placed the result onto a silicon substrate which had been preprinted with logic circuits
to allow for reading the electronic properties of the nanowire. With
the stage set, the team then cooled the device to just fractions of
degrees above absolute zero and then introduced a magnetic field at one
point and additional current at another. In both instances, the
researchers found that at two points along the wire, their device
registered a strong response at just the places where Majorana fermions
were predicted to occur. The responses in effect showed that the
particles didn’t move when in the presence of a magnetic field or an
electric current, because they are electrically neutral.
Conceptual explanation of the Majorana experiment. Video: TU Delft
In contrast, when any of the elements in the device were changed, the
responses did not occur, showing that the device they had built did
indeed match the theory behind it.
This experiment doesn’t exactly show the existence of Majorana
fermions, as the researchers readily acknowledge, but it does offer
strong evidence that not only do they exist, but that their properties
can be demonstrated, which is a major step forward in the study of
particle physics.More information: Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire Devices, Science, DOI: 10.1126/science.1222360
ABSTRACT
Majorana fermions are particles identical to their own antiparticles. They have been theoretically predicted to exist in topological superconductors. We report electrical measurements on InSb nanowires contacted with one normal (Au) and one superconducting electrode (NbTiN). Gate voltages vary electron density and define a tunnel barrier between normal and superconducting contacts. In the presence of magnetic fields of order 100 mT, we observe bound, mid-gap states at zero bias voltage. These bound states remain fixed to zero bias even when magnetic fields and gate voltages are changed over considerable ranges. Our observations support the hypothesis of Majorana fermions in nanowires coupled to superconductors.