Quantum Institute: Visitor Schedule

The Quantum Lunch is regularly held on Thursdays in the Theoretical Division Conference Room, TA-3, Building 123, Room 121.

The organizing committee includes Ryan O. Behunin (T-4 & CNLS), Malcolm Boshier (P-21), Adolfo del Campo (T-4 & CNLS), Michael Di Rosa (C-PCS), Ivar Martin (T-4), Changhyun Ryu (P-21), Rolando D. Somma (T-4), Christopher Ticknor (T-1), and Wojciech H. Zurek (T-4).

For more information, or to nominate a speaker, contact Adolfo del Campo.

To add your name to the Quantum Lunch email list, contact Ellie Vigil.

Thursday, December 20, 2012
12:30 PM - 2:00 PM

Speaker: Sumanta Tewari (Clemson University)

Technical Host: Dibyendu Roy

TOPIC: The search for the quirky quantum particle struck gold: The emergence of Majorana fermions in condensed matter physics and its implications

Abstract
Majorana fermions, the elusive quantum particle proposed more than seven decades ago by E. Majorana to describe neutrinos, are finally beginning to be experimentally realized in condensed matter systems. Following our recent proposal to realize them in semiconductor-superconductor heterostructures, at least four experimental groups worldwide have claimed success in observing them in various experiments. In this talk I will introduce the physics of the Majorana fermions, why they are technologically important (topological quantum computation), our proposal for Majorana fermions in solid state systems, and the subsequent experimental realizations that have been reported and created enormous interest in topological quantum condensed matter physics.