Project description
Turning graphene into a topological superconductor
Since their experimental discovery, a new class of materials known as topological superconductors promised exotic new physics. Topological superconductors combine the properties of superconductors, which carry current at zero resistance, and topological insulators, whose bulks are insulating but whose surfaces are highly conductive. This heterogeneous coupling enables new excitations – Majorana fermions or parafermions – that could be used as qubits to encode and process quantum information. The EU-funded SUPERGRAPH project will demonstrate a new topological insulator that emerges in graphene as the ideal platform for achieving topological superconductivity. Its novelty hinges on innovative substrate engineering that modifies the quantum Hall ground state of neutral graphene. The identification of Majorana particles or parafermions will usher in a new era for topological quantum computation.
Objective
In recent years, a considerable stream of work from the condensed matter community has been focusing on hybrid systems coupling superconductors to various topological states of matter. Such a heterogeneous coupling is pivotal in enabling the emergence of new excitations the Majorana or parafermion that could be used as quantum bits (qubits) with unique properties of non-locality and immunity to external perturbations, essential to encode and manipulate quantum information in a robust and stable fashion. Nevertheless, topological insulators that can be efficiently hybridized with superconductors and enable reliable coherent manipulation are still missing.
This project aims at demonstrating a new topological insulator, the quantum Hall topological insulator that emerges in graphene as an unusual quantum spin Hall phase, as the ideal platform for topological superconductivity. Its novelty hinges on an unprecedented substrate engineering that profoundly modifies the quantum Hall ground state of neutral graphene. The ensuing robust quantum Hall phase harbors spin-filtered, helical edge states that can be easily coupled to superconducting electrodes for investigating novel hybrid superconducting quantum circuits. The versatility of graphene enables designing locally gated quantum devices, tunnelling experiments, and coupling to a photon cavity for time-resolved spectroscopy to unveil Majoranas or parafermions in unprecedented fashion.
Ultimately, quantum coherent manipulation of Majorana qubits in hybrid devices will be performed, providing a major breakthrough in the way of fault-tolerant quantum computers. Moreover, the identification of parafermions will constitute a considerable conceptual advance that will open a totally new horizon for topological superconductivity and quantum computing technologies.
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.
- engineering and technology nanotechnology nano-materials two-dimensional nanostructures graphene
- engineering and technology electrical engineering, electronic engineering, information engineering electronic engineering computer hardware quantum computers
- natural sciences physical sciences electromagnetism and electronics superconductivity
- natural sciences physical sciences theoretical physics particle physics photons
- natural sciences physical sciences optics spectroscopy
You need to log in or register to use this function
We are sorry... an unexpected error occurred during execution.
You need to be authenticated. Your session might have expired.
Thank you for your feedback. You will soon receive an email to confirm the submission. If you have selected to be notified about the reporting status, you will also be contacted when the reporting status will change.
Keywords
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
Project’s keywords as indicated by the project coordinator. Not to be confused with the EuroSciVoc taxonomy (Fields of science)
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.
-
H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC)
MAIN PROGRAMME
See all projects funded under this programme
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.
ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant
See all projects funded under this funding scheme
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) ERC-2019-COG
See all projects funded under this callHost institution
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.
75794 PARIS
France
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.