[NT/RIKEN seminar] Topological Superconducting Qubits

by Javad Shabani (Center for Quantum Phenomena NYU)

Friday 12 Jul 2019, 14:00 → 15:00 US/Eastern

CFNS room 2-38 (Bldg. 510A)

 Topological superconductivity hosts exotic quasi-particle excitations including Majorana bound states which hold promise for fault-tolerant quantum computing. The theory predicts emergence of Majorana bound states is accompanied by a topological phase transition. We show experimentally in epitaxial Al/InAs Josephson junctions a transition between trivial and topological superconductivity. We observe a minimum of the critical current at the topological transition, indicating a closing and reopening of the superconducting gap induced in InAs, with increasing magnetic field. By embedding the Josephson junction in a phase-sensitive loop geometry, we measure a π-jump in the superconducting phase across the junction when the system is driven through the topological transition. We present a scalable topological qubit architecture to study coherence for computing applications. Funded by DARPA TEE program.