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Despite extensive experimental efforts over the past two decades, the quest for Majorana fermions in superconductors remains inconclusive. We propose an experimental method that can conclusively confirm, or rule out, the existence of these…
The experimental realization of Majorana fermions presents an important problem due to their non-Abelian nature and potential exploitation for topological quantum computation. Very recently Sau et al. [arXiv:0907.2239] demonstrated that a…
We present a pedagogical review of topological superconductivity and its consequences in spin-orbit coupled semiconductor/superconductor heterostructures. We start by reviewing the historical origins of the notions of Dirac and Majorana…
This review elaborates pedagogically on the fundamental concept, basic theory, expected properties, and materials realizations of topological superconductors. The relation between topological superconductivity and Majorana fermions are…
This short review article provides a pedagogical introduction to the rapidly growing research field of Majorana fermions in topological superconductors. We first discuss in some details the simplest "toy model" in which Majoranas appear,…
Majorana Fermions, strange particles that are their own antiparticles, were predicted in 1937 and have been sought after ever since. In condensed matter they are predicted to exist as vortex core or edge excitations in certain exotic…
One of the goals of modern spectroscopy is to invent techniques which detect neutral excitations that have been theoretically proposed. For superconductors, two point transport measurements detect the Andreev crossed reflection which…
Topological superconductors are novel classes of quantum condensed phases, characterized by topologically nontrivial structures of Cooper pairing states. On the surfaces of samples and in vortex cores of topological superconductors,…
We present a new scheme for Majorana modes in systems with nonsymmporhic-symmetry-protected band degeneracy. We reveal that when the gapless fermionic excitations are encoded with conventional superconductivity and magnetism, which can be…
There exists a variety of proposals to transform a conventional s-wave superconductor into a topological superconductor, supporting Majorana fermion mid-gap states. A necessary ingredient of these proposals is strong spin-orbit coupling.…
Realizing topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes in the laboratory is one of the major goals in condensed matter physics. We review the current status of this rapidly-developing field, focusing on semiconductor-superconductor…
The 1937 theoretical discovery of Majorana fermions--whose defining property is that they are their own anti-particles--has since impacted diverse problems ranging from neutrino physics and dark matter searches to the fractional quantum…
Spatial profile of the Majorana fermion wave function in a one-dimensional $p$-wave superconductors ($\cal{PWS}$) with quasi periodic disorder is shown to exhibit spatial oscillations. These oscillations damp out in the interior of the…
Semiconducting nanowires in proximity to superconductors are promising experimental systems for Majorana fermions which may ultimately be used as building blocks for topological quantum computers. A serious challenge in the experimental…
Majorana fermions have recently garnered a great attention outside the field of particle physics, in condensed matter physics. In contrast to their particle physics counterparts, Majorana fermions are zero energy, chargeless, spinless,…
The exploration of topological superconductivity and Majorana zero modes has become a rapidly developing field. Many types of proposals to realize topological superconductors have been presented, and significant advances have been recently…
Topological insulator edges and spin-orbit-coupled quantum wires in proximity to s-wave super- conductors can be tuned through a topological quantum phase transition by a Zeeman field. Here we show that a supercurrent flowing in the s-wave…
In this tutorial paper, we provide an introduction to the briskly expanding research field of Majorana fermions in topological superconductors. We discuss several aspects of topological superconductivity and the advantages it brings to…
Superconductivity in topological materials has drawn a significant interest of the scientific community as these materials provide a hint of the existence of Majorana fermions conceived from the quantized thermal conductivity, a zero-biased…
Majorana fermions exist on the boundaries of two-dimensional topological superconductors (TSCs) as charge-neutral quasi-particles. The neutrality makes the detection of such states challenging from both experimental and theoretical points…