Enhanced Majorana stability in a three-site Kitaev chain

IF 38.1 1区材料科学 Q1 MATERIALS SCIENCE, MULTIDISCIPLINARY

Nature nanotechnology Pub Date : 2025-03-31 DOI:10.1038/s41565-025-01894-4

Alberto Bordin, Chun-Xiao Liu, Tom Dvir, Francesco Zatelli, Sebastiaan L. D. ten Haaf, David van Driel, Guanzhong Wang, Nick van Loo, Yining Zhang, Jan Cornelis Wolff, Thomas Van Caekenberghe, Ghada Badawy, Sasa Gazibegovic, Erik P. A. M. Bakkers, Michael Wimmer, Leo P. Kouwenhoven, Grzegorz P. Mazur

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引用次数: 0

Abstract

Majorana zero modes are non-Abelian quasiparticles predicted to emerge at the edges of topological superconductors. A one-dimensional topological superconductor can be realized with the Kitaev model—a chain of spinless fermions coupled via p-wave superconductivity and electron hopping—which becomes topological in the long-chain limit. Here we realize a three-site Kitaev chain using semiconducting quantum dots coupled by superconducting segments in a hybrid InSb/Al nanowire. We investigate the robustness of Majorana zero modes under varying coupling strengths and electrochemical potentials, comparing two- and three-site chains realized within the same device. We observe that extending the chain to three sites enhances the stability of the zero-energy modes, especially against variations in the coupling strengths. This experiment lacks superconducting phase control, yet numerical conductance simulations with phase averaging align well with our observations. Our results demonstrate the scalability of quantum-dot-based Kitaev chains and its benefits for Majorana stability.

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来源期刊

Nature nanotechnology 工程技术-材料科学：综合

CiteScore

59.70

自引率

0.80%

发文量

196

审稿时长

4-8 weeks

期刊介绍： Nature Nanotechnology is a prestigious journal that publishes high-quality papers in various areas of nanoscience and nanotechnology. The journal focuses on the design, characterization, and production of structures, devices, and systems that manipulate and control materials at atomic, molecular, and macromolecular scales. It encompasses both bottom-up and top-down approaches, as well as their combinations. Furthermore, Nature Nanotechnology fosters the exchange of ideas among researchers from diverse disciplines such as chemistry, physics, material science, biomedical research, engineering, and more. It promotes collaboration at the forefront of this multidisciplinary field. The journal covers a wide range of topics, from fundamental research in physics, chemistry, and biology, including computational work and simulations, to the development of innovative devices and technologies for various industrial sectors such as information technology, medicine, manufacturing, high-performance materials, energy, and environmental technologies. It includes coverage of organic, inorganic, and hybrid materials.