Measuring Majorana nonlocality and spin structure with a quantum dot

Elsa Prada, Ramón Aguado, and Pablo San-Jose
Phys. Rev. B 96, 085418 – Published 11 August 2017

Abstract

Robust zero-bias transport anomalies in semiconducting nanowires with proximity-induced superconductivity have been convincingly demonstrated in various experiments. While these are compatible with the existence of Majorana zero modes at the ends of the nanowire, a direct proof of their nonlocality and topological protection is now needed. Here we show that a quantum dot at the end of the nanowire may be used as a powerful spectroscopic tool to quantify the degree of Majorana nonlocality through a local transport measurement. Moreover, the spin polarization of dot subgap states at singlet-doublet transitions in the Coulomb blockade regime allows the dot to directly probe the spin structure of the Majorana wave function and indirectly measure the spin-orbit coupling of the nanowire.

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  • Received 24 February 2017

DOI:https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevB.96.085418

©2017 American Physical Society

Physics Subject Headings (PhySH)

Condensed Matter, Materials & Applied Physics

Authors & Affiliations

Elsa Prada1, Ramón Aguado2, and Pablo San-Jose2

  • 1Departamento de Física de la Materia Condensada, Condensed Matter Physics Center (IFIMAC) and Instituto Nicolás Cabrera, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, E-28049 Madrid, Spain
  • 2Instituto de Ciencia de Materiales de Madrid, Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (ICMM-CSIC), Sor Juana Inés de la Cruz 3, 28049 Madrid, Spain

See Also

Fano resonances in Majorana bound states–quantum dot hybrid systems

Alexander Schuray, Luzie Weithofer, and Patrik Recher
Phys. Rev. B 96, 085417 (2017)

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Vol. 96, Iss. 8 — 15 August 2017

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