Optimized micromagnet geometries for Majorana zero modes in low g-factor materials

Sara Turcotte, Samuel Boutin, Julien Camirand Lemyre, Ion Garate, Michel Pioro-Ladrière

Published 2019-04-12Version 1

Solid-state experimental realizations of Majorana bound states are based on materials with strong intrinsic spin-orbit interactions. In this work, we explore an alternative approach where spin-orbit coupling is induced artificially through a non-uniform magnetic field that originates from an array of micromagnets. Using a recently developed optimization algorithm, we find suitable micromagnet geometries for the emergence of topological superconductivity in a one-dimensional wire without intrinsic spin-orbit coupling. We confirm the robustness of Majorana bound states against micromagnet nanofabrication errors, and identify low g-factor materials commonly used in mesoscopic physics experiments as viable candidates for Majorana devices.