Next steps of quantum transport in Majorana nanowire devices

TL;DR

This paper reviews recent progress in Majorana nanowire devices, emphasizing experimental signatures, challenges, and the potential for topological quantum computing based on Majorana zero modes.

Contribution

It provides a comprehensive overview of experimental advances, challenges, and future directions in the search for Majorana zero modes in nanowire systems.

Findings

Experimental signatures of Majorana modes observed in nanowires

Identification of key challenges in transport experiments

Potential pathways for realizing topological qubits

Abstract

Majorana zero modes are localized quasiparticles that obey non-Abelian exchange statistics. Braiding Majorana zero modes forms the basis of topologically protected quantum operations which could in principle significantly reduce qubit decoherence and gate control errors in the device level. Therefore, searching for Majorana zero modes in various solid state systems is a major topic in condensed matter physics and quantum computer science. Since the first experimental signature observed in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowire devices, this field has witnessed a dramatic expansion in material science, transport experiments and theory. While making the first topological qubit based on these Majorana nanowires is currently an on-going effort, several related important transport experiments are still being pursued in the near term. These will not only serve as intermediate steps but also show Majorana physics in a more fundamental aspect. In this perspective, we summarize these key Majorana experiments and the potential challenges.