Quantum Computers: New Basis Discovered for Stable Quantum Bits with Exotic Majorana Particles
Jülich, 21 March 2017 – Majorana particles are considered to be promising candidates for stable quantum bits. Their realization is one of the biggest challenges in the development of quantum computers. Almost 80 years ago, the Italian physicist Ettore Majorana predicted particles which are simultaneously their own antiparticles. However, only in the past few years has it been possible to experimentally approximate the existence of such Majoranas. Scientists from Forschungszentrum Jülich have now successfully performed an experiment which represents an important step towards creating Majoranas so that they can also be used for processing and storing quantum information. In collaboration with scientists from the universities of Würzburg and Duisburg-Essen, they found evidence in semiconductor nanowires for a new kind of coupling mechanism and extremely strong spin-orbit coupling. The latter is considered to be an important prerequisite for creating quantum bits in nanowires with the aid of these exotic particles.