Feb 15, 2021 12:26:00

The paper that observed 'Majorana fermion', which was the key to Microsoft's quantum computer construction, was withdrawn

In the field of quantum computers, Microsoft, which was late in building prototypes by Google and IBM, was building quantum computers using

'Majorana fermions.' The paper published in 2018 that observed evidence of the presence of Majorana fermions in ultra-low temperature semiconductor wires greatly supported Microsoft's movement, but this time, the research team that published the paper has published a new paper. We announced and revised the conclusion that 'Majorana fermions could not be observed.'

True to its nature, on closer inspection Microsoft's quantum technology collapsed --MSPoweruser
https://mspoweruser.com/true-to-its-nature-on-further-investigation-microsofts-quantum-discovery-collapsed/

Microsoft's Big Win in Quantum Computing Was an'Error' After All --Slashdot

https://tech.slashdot.org/story/21/02/12/2032231/microsofts-big-win-in-quantum-computing-was-an-error-after-all

In March 2018, Leo Kuvenhofen, a professor of applied physics at Delft University of Technology and also a member of Microsoft, along with Hao Zhang and others, was considered an elusive particle, the Majorana fermion. I published a paper saying that I observed.

Quantized Majorana conductance | Nature
https://doi.org/10.1038/nature26142

For Microsoft, which was ahead of Google and IBM in the quantum computer field, building a quantum computer using this Majorana fermion was a reversal, and the director in charge at that time said, 'With this, we can make a commercial quantum computer within five years.' I was commenting.

However, in 2021, Majorana et al. Published a new treatise containing more data than this 2018 treatise, concluding that the Majorana fermion could not be observed. The author's memo shows that the 2018 treatise will be withdrawn as 'technical error'.

'I don't know what they were thinking,' said Professor Sergei Florov of the University of Pittsburgh, pointing out the problems with the 2018 treatise. 'But I ignored data that was inconsistent with the content of the treatise. From the more complete data, there is no doubt that the Majorana fermions are absent. '