Have Majorana bound states been detected in hybrid superconductor-semiconductor nanowire systems?

Recent experiments [1-3] have reported conductance measurements in semiconducting nanowire-based hybrid systems that support the existence of Majorana bound states (MBS) at normal-superconductor junctions. Although these experiments are partially consistent with the Majorana interpretation [4], other mechanisms such as disorder [5], Andreev bound states [6], or Kondo physics [7] cannot be completely ruled out. After an overview of the experimental situation, I will focus on the last two mechanisms and will explain in detail how they mimic the expected phenomenology of Majorana bound states.



References


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