Possibility of direct observation of edge Majorana modes in quantum chains

TL;DR

This paper explores the potential for directly observing edge Majorana modes in various quantum chain systems, analyzing their excitations and experimental signatures across different physical platforms.

Contribution

It provides an exact solution framework for identifying observable signatures of edge Majorana modes in spin, superconducting, and optical quantum chains.

Findings

Edge Majorana modes can be characterized as superpositions of spinless fermions and holes.

Experimental features in magnetic, superconducting, and optical properties can indicate the presence of Majorana modes.

The study offers a pathway for direct experimental detection of Majorana fermions in quantum chains.

Abstract

Several scenarios for realization of edge Majorana modes in quantum chain systems: spin chains, chains of Josephson junctions, and chains of coupled cavities in quantum optics, are considered. For all these systems excitations can be presented as superpositions of a spinless fermion and a hole, characteristic for Majorana fermion. We discuss the features of our exact solution with respect to possible experiments, in which edge Majorana fermions can be directly observed when studying magnetic, superconducting, and optical characteristics of such systems.