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[[Vol. 25]Majorana Particles in Topological Superconductors_ Search for illusive particles equivalent to their own anti-particles _ WPI-MANA.pdf](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/filesets/fc032020-660d-4792-8951-7f90a4c9cbe4/download)

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International Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA)

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[[Research Highlights Vol.25] Majorana Particles in Topological Superconductors: Search for illusive particles equivalent to their own anti-particles](https://mdr.nims.go.jp/datasets/91326fc1-6e18-4b38-907c-152d05496c5d)

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2022/04/04 10:13 Majorana Particles in Topological Superconductors: Search for illusive particles equivalent to their own anti-particles | MANAhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol25.html 1/2Previous  Index  NextResearch Highlights[Vol. 25]Majorana Particles in Topological Superconductors: Search for illusive particlesequivalent to their own anti-particles9 Jun, 2016Theoreticians at MANA report on the existence of Majorana-type particles based onanalysis of independent scanning tunneling spectroscopy measurements on thin film oftopological insulator bismuth telluride on substrate of superconducting niobiumselenide. The findings are important for robust topological quantum computing.Figure: Schematic of Majorana particles localized inside the core of quantum vortex of atopological superconductor and the distribution of density of states of quasiparticleexcitations based on the theoretical calculations.In 1937 the Italian theoretical physicist Ettore Majorana predicted the existence of fundamentalparticles with mass, no charge, and intriguingly, “equivalent to their own anti-particle”. The searchfor these “Majorana fermions” (also known as Majorana particles) has been lasting for almost 80years without a firm answer. An electron is not a Majorana particle because it is negativelycharged, and its anti-particle is positive (positron), thereby a different particle, a fact that does notfollow Majorana’s prediction.Now, Takuto Kawakami and Xiao Hu, theoreticians at the International Center for MaterialsNanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for Materials Science (NIMS) report on theexistence of Majorana-type particles based on analysis of independent scanning tunnelingspectroscopy measurements on thin film of topological insulator bismuth telluride on substrate ofsuperconducting niobium selenide, which composes a topological superconductor [Xu et al., Phys.Rev. Lett. 114 (2015) 017001].https://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol24.htmlhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/index.htmlhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol26.html2022/04/04 10:13 Majorana Particles in Topological Superconductors: Search for illusive particles equivalent to their own anti-particles | MANAhttps://www.nims.go.jp/mana/research/highlights/vol25.html 2/2Kawakami and Hu carried out precise analyses on quasiparticle excitations and found thatMajorana particles were captured inside quantum vortex cores of the topological superconductor.Notably, the NIMS researchers propose that the quantum mechanical properties of Majoranaparticles could further be exploited to develop a method to improve the precision of experiments.They state that their research is “expected to be able to provide phase-sensitive evidence for aMajorana particle in the vortex core of a topological superconductor.”These results together with advances in materials science are significant steps towards therealization of robust quantum computers that would be less prone to ‘decoherence’—so-calledtopological quantum computers.Reference"Evolution of Density of States and a Spin-Resolved Checkerboard-Type Pattern Associated with theMajorana Bound State"Takuto Kawakami and Xiao HuJournal : Phys. Rev. Lett. 115 (2015) 177001.DOI : 10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.177001AffiliationsInternational Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics (WPI-MANA), National Institute for MaterialsScience (NIMS), Namiki 1-1, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044, JapanContact informationInternational Center for Materials Nanoarchitectonics(WPI-MANA)National Institute for Materials Science1-1 Namiki, Tsukuba, Ibaraki 305-0044 JapanPhone: +81-29-860-4710E-mail: mana-pr[AT]ml.nims.go.jphttps://samurai.nims.go.jp/profiles/hu_xiao?locale=enhttps://journals.aps.org/prl/abstract/10.1103/PhysRevLett.115.177001