Project description
Tales of a superconducting island in a (nanowire) stream
Quantum computing capable of exponentially more computations in a second than classical computing has the potential to change the world with impact on fields from communications and artificial intelligence to security and medicine. The strength of quantum computers rests in the exotic quantum properties of its qubits (quantum bits) that are used to manipulate information. Majorana fermions, also called Majorana modes, are at the top of the most wanted list to act as qubits, but the scientific community is not certain the elusive and exotic quasiparticles have ever been seen. The most likely sighting was in a semiconductor nanowire attached to a superconductor. The EU-funded SpinScreen project will conduct advanced experimental investigations of this system with expected insight reaching far beyond its potential in quantum computing.
Objective
Europe’s leadership in quantum technologies can only be sustained by fundamental research. A challenge in this field is to choose the physical platform for qubits, the units of a quantum computer. Semiconductor nanowires coupled to superconductors offer a potential solution as a platform for a new type of qubit, which has the unique advantage of being inherently protected from decoherence.
The physical ingredients of this qubit are Majorana modes. A common device geometry used to investigate transport through these modes is a superconducting island coupled to a nanowire.
However, at this stage little is known about the interactions of islands with quantum dots, which are themselves commonplace near charge depletion. Whereas the interaction of a single dot strongly coupled to a superconductor lead at fixed potential is known to lead to anti-ferromagnetic screening by quasiparticles in the superconductor, the interaction of the dot with an isolated superconductor remains to be explored. If this gap in the knowledge is filled, we could learn to distinguish between subgap states related to screening of the dot, and those involving the island/nanowire hybrid. Crucially, only the latter ones are related to Majorana modes.
At QDev, I will investigate screening by an epitaxial superconducting Al island of a single quantum dot defined in an InAs nanowire. To do this, I will tune the coupling between the island and the dot with a gate voltage and obtain the quantum phase diagram.
While most of Majorana research is understandably focused on how to make a qubit, I will tackle three more fundamental questions, which will serve this purpose in the long run and go substantially beyond the state of the art. 1) How does a single quasiparticle in the island screen a spin? 2) How does screening occur when the island cannot accept quasiparticles? 3) Can novel non-Fermi liquid physics emerge when adding a superconducting lead to the dot-island system?
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences physical sciences condensed matter physics quasiparticles
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware quantum computers
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics semiconductivity
- natural sciences mathematics pure mathematics geometry
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics superconductivity
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF-EF-ST - Standard EF
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2018
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
1165 KOBENHAVN
Denmark
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.