Size optimization for observeing Majorana fermions

TL;DR

This paper analyzes finite-size effects in nanowire-superconductor heterostructures to optimize dimensions for observing Majorana fermions, providing guidance to improve experimental detection.

Contribution

It introduces a detailed size optimization framework for nanowire and superconductor layers, revealing critical size parameters to facilitate Majorana fermion observation.

Findings

Optimal nanowire width less than 100nm

Superconductor thickness should exceed coherence length

Current experimental superconductor thickness is much smaller than optimal

Abstract

Majorana fermions (zero modes) are predicted to emerge in nanowire-superconductor heterostructures. This theoretical prediction typically relies on an oversimplified model, where both the nanowire and the superconductor are idealized as one-dimensional systems. In reality, heterostructures have finite sizes that deviate from this idealization-and as a result, smoking-gun evidence confirming the existence of these zero modes remains elusive. Here, we investigate the finite-size effects of both the nanowire and the superconductor, and optimize their sizes to ensure that only one Majorana fermion exists at each end of the heterostructure. It is discovered that the optimal transverse sizes of the nanowire are less than 100nm in width and approximately 1nm in thickness. For the superconductor layer, its optimal thickness (a key aspect of its size) must exceed its coherence length. We also present the optimal sizes of the two types of materials used in the experiment in a quantitative manner. Notably, the identified optimal thickness of the superconductor (Al films, $\sim$1000nm)--a critical size parameter--is two orders of magnitude larger than the thickness of Al films currently utilized in experimental devices (e.g., InSb-Al and InAs-Al heterostructures). Our findings could explain why Majorana fermions have not been observed in current experiments, and offer guidance for the size selection of heterostructures to implement Majorana fermions in future studies.