Invitation to ICTP Colloquium on Wednesday 25 October 2017: "Majorana Edge Modes in Topological Superconductors ", by Prof. Carlo Beenakker, Instituut-Lorentz, Leiden University

[ICTP Director]

Dear All,

ICTP is pleased to announce that the forthcoming ICTP Colloquium, 
"Majorana Edge Modes in Topological Superconductors ", by Prof. Carlo 
Beenakker, Instituut-Lorentz, Leiden University, will take place *on 
Wednesday 25 October at 16:30 hrs*, in the Budinich Lecture Hall, 
Leonardo Building, ICTP.

BIOSKETCH: Carlo Beenakker received his Ph.D. in 1984 from Leiden 
University and then worked for six years at the Philips Research 
Laboratories in Eindhoven. Since 1991 he is professor in Leiden, working 
at the Lorentz Institute for theoretical physics. His research on 
electrical conduction in nanostructures was distinguished with the 
Royal-Shell prize, the Spinoza prize, and the Akzo-Nobel Science Award. 
His current interests center around topological states of matter and 
topological quantum computation, supported by an ERC Synergy grant with 
his colleagues from Delft University of Technology.

ABSTRACT: Two-dimensional superconductors with broken time-reversal 
symmetry have been predicted to support topologically protected chiral 
edge states, providing a superconducting counterpart to the quantum Hall 
effect in semiconductors. The edge states carry charge-neutral 
quasiparticles, coherent superpositions of electrons and holes referred 
to as "Majorana fermions". After several decades of unsuccesful search 
for these edge states, an experimental observation was reported earlier 
this year [Science 357, 294 (2017)]. We present an overview of 
electrical and thermal probes of the superconducting edge states, 
focusing on unique signatures of their Majorana nature. Background 
reading: "A road to reality with topologicalsuperconductors", 
arXiv:1606.09439.

The abstract of the talk is available at http://indico.ictp.it/event/8414/

The Colloquium will be livestreamed at ictp.it/livestream

The poster is attached.

Light refreshments will be served after the lecture.

You are all very warmly invited to attend.

Office of the Director, ICTP