Topological superconductor

In condensed matter physics and materials chemistry, a topological superconductor is a material that conducts electricity with zero electrical resistivity, and has non-trivial topology which gives it certain unique properties. These materials behave as superconductors that feature exotic edge states, known as Majorana zero modes.^[1][2]

Classification and examples

Topological superconductors are characterized by the topological order related to their electronic band structure.^[2] These materials can be classified using the periodic table of topological superconductors, which categorizes topological phases based on time-reversal symmetry, particle-hole symmetry, and chiral symmetry.^[2]

An example of a simple topological superconductor in one-dimension is the Kitaev chain.^[2]

Experimental evidence

In 2015, uranium ditelluride (UTe₂) was found to behave as a topological superconductor.^[2]

Applications

A notable application of topological superconductors is in the realm of topological quantum computing, where Majorana zero modes can be used to implement fault-tolerant quantum gates via braiding operations. This approach leverages the non-Abelian statistics of Majorana modes to perform computations that are protected from local sources of decoherence.^[1][2]

See also

• Topological insulator