3,826 research outputs found
Approaching a topological phase transition in Majorana nanowires
Recent experiments have produced mounting evidence of Majorana zero modes in
nanowire-superconductor hybrids. Signatures of an expected topological phase
transition accompanying the onset of these modes nevertheless remain elusive.
We investigate a fundamental question concerning this issue: Do well-formed
Majorana modes necessarily entail a sharp phase transition in these setups?
Assuming reasonable parameters, we argue that finite-size effects can
dramatically smooth this putative transition into a crossover, even in systems
large enough to support well-localized Majorana modes. We propose overcoming
such finite-size effects by examining the behavior of low-lying excited states
through tunneling spectroscopy. In particular, the excited-state energies
exhibit characteristic field and density dependence, and scaling with system
size, that expose an approaching topological phase transition. We suggest
several experiments for extracting the predicted behavior. As a useful
byproduct, the protocols also allow one to measure the wire's spin-orbit
coupling directly in its superconducting environment.Comment: 13 pages, 8 figure
Nonlocal conductance spectroscopy of Andreev bound states: Symmetry relations and BCS charges
Two-terminal conductance spectroscopy of superconducting devices is a common
tool for probing Andreev and Majorana bound states. Here, we study
theoretically a three-terminal setup, with two normal leads coupled to a
grounded superconducting terminal. Using a single-electron scattering matrix,
we derive the subgap conductance matrix for the normal leads and discuss its
symmetries. In particular, we show that the local and the nonlocal elements of
the conductance matrix have pairwise identical antisymmetric components.
Moreover, we find that the nonlocal elements are directly related to the local
BCS charges of the bound states close to the normal probes and we show how the
BCS charge of overlapping Majorana bound states can be extracted from
experiments.Comment: 7 page
Hole Spin Coherence in a Ge/Si Heterostructure Nanowire
Relaxation and dephasing of hole spins are measured in a gate-defined Ge/Si
nanowire double quantum dot using a fast pulsed-gate method and dispersive
readout. An inhomogeneous dephasing time
exceeds corresponding measurements in III-V semiconductors by more than an
order of magnitude, as expected for predominately nuclear-spin-free materials.
Dephasing is observed to be exponential in time, indicating the presence of a
broadband noise source, rather than Gaussian, previously seen in systems with
nuclear-spin-dominated dephasing.Comment: 15 pages, 4 figure
Parity lifetime of bound states in a proximitized semiconductor nanowire
Quasiparticle excitations can compromise the performance of superconducting
devices, causing high frequency dissipation, decoherence in Josephson qubits,
and braiding errors in proposed Majorana-based topological quantum computers.
Quasiparticle dynamics have been studied in detail in metallic superconductors
but remain relatively unexplored in semiconductor-superconductor structures,
which are now being intensely pursued in the context of topological
superconductivity. To this end, we introduce a new physical system comprised of
a gate-confined semiconductor nanowire with an epitaxially grown superconductor
layer, yielding an isolated, proximitized nanowire segment. We identify
Andreev-like bound states in the semiconductor via bias spectroscopy, determine
the characteristic temperatures and magnetic fields for quasiparticle
excitations, and extract a parity lifetime (poisoning time) of the bound state
in the semiconductor exceeding 10 ms.Comment: text and supplementary information combine
Antilocalization of Coulomb Blockade in a Ge-Si Nanowire
The distribution of Coulomb blockade peak heights as a function of magnetic
field is investigated experimentally in a Ge-Si nanowire quantum dot. Strong
spin-orbit coupling in this hole-gas system leads to antilocalization of
Coulomb blockade peaks, consistent with theory. In particular, the peak height
distribution has its maximum away from zero at zero magnetic field, with an
average that decreases with increasing field. Magnetoconductance in the
open-wire regime places a bound on the spin-orbit length ( < 20 nm),
consistent with values extracted in the Coulomb blockade regime ( < 25
nm).Comment: Supplementary Information available at http://bit.ly/19pMpd
Transport signatures of quasiparticle poisoning in a Majorana island
We investigate effects of quasiparticle poisoning in a Majorana island with
strong tunnel coupling to normal-metal leads. In addition to the main Coulomb
blockade diamonds, "shadow" diamonds appear, shifted by 1e in gate voltage,
consistent with transport through an excited (poisoned) state of the island.
Comparison to a simple model yields an estimate of parity lifetime for the
strongly coupled island (~ 1 {\mu}s) and sets a bound for a weakly coupled
island (> 10 {\mu}s). Fluctuations in the gate-voltage spacing of Coulomb peaks
at high field, reflecting Majorana hybridization, are enhanced by the reduced
lever arm at strong coupling. In energy units, fluctuations are consistent with
previous measurements.Comment: includes supplementary materia
A Program Evaluation of the Community Workshop Series Classes at the Durham Public Library
This study describes the evaluations and interviews conducted with participants in the Community Workshop Series program at the Durham Public Library during the calendar year 2007. The Community Workshop Series is a set of free computer classes offered by the UNC-Chapel Hill University Libraries to local public libraries in the Chapel Hill/Durham area. The study aims to assess the Workshop Series classes in terms of participant satisfaction, effectiveness, and future planning. The Community Workshop Series classes prove to be well received and popular among the Durham Public Library patrons. Many participants express eagerness for more computer classes to be offered through the library and for an increase in the frequency at which they are available. Most participants feel they are learning valuable skills through the classes. Libraries may consider the results as they assess their own goals for similar programs
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