Rubén Seoane is a researcher on condensed matter physics. His research objectives are to understand the new physical phenomena emerging at the nanoscale and to design quantum devices for applications. Rubén is a permanent researcher at Universidad Autonoma de Madrid since April 2023, having obtained a competitive Madrid Talent Attraction fellowship to set up his own lab.
Host University: Universidad Autonoma de Madrid, Spain
Host research group or department: Condensed Matter Physics Center - Theoretical Condensed Matter department
Co-host University: Aix Marseille University, France
Secondment institution: possibly Wallenberg Centre of Quantum Technology (Gothenburg)
Advisor: Professor Alfredo Levy Yeyati
Co-advisor: Professor Thierry Martin
Secondment mentor: To be defined
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My research
Dynamics, transport, and non-local properties of topological superconductors
The discovery of topological materials has attracted important attention in several disciplines, including condensed matter physics and material science. Non-local quasiparticles with non-abelian exchange statistics play a prominent role in the physical properties of many of these materials. However, the demonstration of non-abelian exchange statistics remains one of the major challenges in condensed matter physics, with profound technological applications. This proposal focuses on Majorana bound states (MBSs) appearing at the ends of one-dimensional topological superconductors. Semiconductor-superconductor material platform is one of the most promising ones to realize these exotic states. By now, there has been lots of evidence of MBSs in hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices. However, definitive proof of their non-abelian statistics confirming their topological origin remains absent. This is largely due to the limited information that local probes in experiments can provide about non-local states. Hence, this theory project seeks to design new ways to electronically control MBSs to perform basic operations and demonstrate non-abelian properties. Numerical calculations will provide temporal constraints for the system's operations, determining the feasibility of the proposed measurements. I will use transport calculations as a tool to characterize and interpret ongoing experiments, extracting the limiting timescales in real devices. A direct comparison between both temporal limits will indicate the feasibility of the proposed fast control experiments using the available technology and expertise. A successful demonstration of MBS non-abelian properties will open the door for new technologies exploiting the non-local properties MBSs.
Date started – Date End
01.01.2023 - 31.03.2023
