Researchers at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology have discovered that monolayer tungsten ditelluride (WTe2) is superconducting at ultralow temperatures despite its very low charge carrier density. And that the state of the material can be electrically tuned from being a superconductor to an insulator. More importantly still, it could be used to engineer Majorana zero modes – a key step towards making a topological quantum computer.
“We recently confirmed in experiments that the insulating phase of monolayer WTe2 is a topological insulator,” explains team leader Pablo Jarillo-Herrero. “This means that it is the first material that can be electrically tuned over a wide range – all the way from being a topological insulator to a superconductor. This makes it an excellent candidate for engineering Majorana modes according to the famous Fu-Kane proposal.”
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