Semiconductor Nanowire Josephson Junctions: In the search for the Majorana

Abstract

Due to the collective behavior of electrons, exotic states can appear in condensed matter systems. In this PhD thesis, we investigate semiconducting nanowire Josephson junctions that potentially have Majorana zero modes (MZM) as exotic states. MZM are expected to form a robust quantum bit and quantum operations are done by interchange, otherwise known as braiding. The presence of MZM in a Josephson junction creates a topological junction, with properties which are drastically different from a normal Josephson junction. Understanding such topological junctions is of key importance in developing circuits for MZM braiding.QRD/Kouwenhoven La