Topological states of matter

Topological states of matter exhibit an exact degeneracy in the ground state. This raises the possibility of exploiting the system as a macrocopic qubit for quantum information processing. An example can be found in superconducting states induced in topological insulators. The degeneracy can be interpreted as a "Majorana fermion" which is a neutral mode made up from equal superpositions of particle and hole states. The experimental search for the Majorana fermion is currently a very active area of research. Current projects will explore the design of realistic platforms for Majorana physics. This will be informed by local experimental efforts at Imperial.