Qutech’s Majorana proof doesn’t hold up

Qutech researchers intend to retract their landmark research paper in which they claim to have observed Majorana particles. After re-examining the data as well as the experimental setup, they conclude that their observations can also be explained by other phenomena.

Because of its exceptional stability, the elusive Majorana (pseudo)particle is thought to be the holy grail for quantum computing. After researchers at Delft University of Technology (TU Delft) spotted glimpses of it in 2012, it took another six years to provide – what was then thought to be – strong evidence for its creation inside semiconducting nanowires coated with a superconducting material. By then, the quantum computing research groups in Delft had allied themselves with research organization TNO and the Dutch high-tech sector to create the Qutech institute, aiming to compete in the race to build the first quantum computer of practical value.

Last year, however, the authors of the 2018 Nature paper alerted the journal to potential problems in the manner in which raw data was processed, possibly impacting the reliability of the conclusions. Now, they’ve posted the results of their reanalysis on the preprint repository Arxiv, announcing a full retraction of the original paper.