Observing Majorana Bound States in p-wave Superconductors Using Noise Measurements in Tunneling Experiments

TL;DR

This paper models tunneling into Majorana bound states in p-wave superconductors, providing analytic expressions for current and noise, and identifies experimental signatures in shot noise to confirm their Majorana nature, relevant for quantum computing.

Contribution

Introduces a Hamiltonian model and exact analytic formulas for tunneling current and noise, revealing signatures of Majorana states in p-wave superconductors.

Findings

Analytic expressions for tunneling current and noise.

Identification of shot noise signatures of Majorana states.

Discussion of candidate materials supporting triplet superconductivity.

Abstract

The zero-energy bound states at the edges or vortex cores of chiral p-wave superconductors should behave like majorana fermions. We introduce a model Hamiltonian that describes the tunnelling process when electrons are injected into such states. Using a non-equilibrium green function formalism, we find exact analytic expressions for the tunnelling current and noise and identify experimental signatures of the majorana nature of the bound states to be found in the shot noise. We discuss the results in the context of different candidate materials that support triplet superconductivity. Experimental verification of the majorana character of midgap states would have important implications for the prospects of topological quantum computation.