Title: The search for Majorana fermions in topological superconductors Speaker: Carlo Beenakker, Instituut-Lorentz, Leiden University Time: Wednesday, 5 October, 2011 at 3:15 p.m. Place: Physics Auditorium, 3rd floor, Department of Physics Abstract Majorana fermions (particles which are own antiparticle) may or may not exist in Nature as fundamental building blocks, but in the solid state they can be constructed out of electron and hole excitations. What is needed is a superconductor to hide the charge difference, and a topo-logical phase to eliminate the zero-point motion that would cause an energy difference. A qubit encoded in a pair of Majorana fermions is expected to have an unusually long decoherence time. We will discuss strategies to detect Majorana fermions in a topological superconductor, as well as possible applications in a quantum computer. _____ Coffee/tea and cake will be served at 3 p.m. David Field