Why in news?
Physicists around the world are excited about recent experiments suggesting the existence of Majorana particles in superconducting nanowires. Their unique properties make them promising candidates for building more stable quantum computers, as they are naturally resistant to errors.
What are Majorana particles?
Majorana particles were proposed by Italian physicist Ettore Majorana in 1937. They are hypothetical fermions that are their own antiparticles. Unlike ordinary particles—such as electrons—which annihilate with their antimatter counterparts, a Majorana particle is perfectly symmetric with itself.
Key characteristics
- Self‑mirroring: Majorana particles are identical to their antiparticles, meaning that matter and antimatter are indistinguishable in this state.
- Neutral charge: They carry no electric charge, making them difficult to detect directly.
- Quasiparticle form: In condensed‑matter physics, Majorana modes appear as quasiparticles within superconductors at very low temperatures. They often arise in pairs, with each half stored far apart, which gives them natural resistance to environmental disturbances.
- Non‑Abelian anyons: When two Majorana quasiparticles are exchanged, the quantum state of the system changes in a way that depends on the order of exchange. This exotic property underlies proposals for topological quantum computing.
Applications
- Quantum computing: Majorana modes could serve as the basis for topological qubits that are less prone to decoherence and noise, a major hurdle in existing quantum computers.
- Particle physics: Researchers are investigating whether neutrinos might be true Majorana particles; proving this would deepen our understanding of the fundamental symmetries of nature.
- Materials science: The study of Majorana quasiparticles advances research in superconductors, nanowires and other quantum materials.
Although definitive evidence remains elusive, the hunt for Majorana particles is pushing the frontiers of both fundamental physics and applied technology.