Majorana-like Coulomb spectroscopy in the absence of zero-bias peaks.

Hybrid semiconductor-superconductor devices hold great promise for realizing topological quantum computing with Majorana zero modes1-5. However, multiple claims of Majorana detection, based on either tunnelling6-10 or Coulomb blockade (CB) spectroscopy11,12, remain disputed. Here we devise an experimental protocol that allows us to perform both types of measurement on the same hybrid island by adjusting its charging energy via tunable junctions to the normal leads. This method reduces ambiguities of Majorana detections by checking the consistency between CB spectroscopy and zero-bias peaks in non-blockaded transport. Specifically, we observe junction-dependent, even-odd modulated, single-electron CB peaks in InAs/Al hybrid nanowires without concomitant low-bias peaks in tunnelling spectroscopy. We provide a theoretical interpretation of the experimental observations in terms of low-energy, longitudinally confined island states rather than overlapping Majorana modes. Our results highlight the importance of combined measurements on the same device for the identification of topological Majorana zero modes.

A singlet-triplet hole spin qubit in planar Ge.

Spin qubits are considered to be among the most promising candidates for building a quantum processor. Group IV hole spin qubits are particularly interesting owing to their ease of operation and compatibility with Si technology. In addition, Ge offers the option for monolithic superconductor-semiconductor integration. Here, we demonstrate a hole spin qubit operating at fields below 10 mT, the critical field of Al, by exploiting the large out-of-plane hole g-factors in planar Ge and by encoding the qubit into the singlet-triplet states of a double quantum dot. We observe electrically controlled g-factor difference-driven and exchange-driven rotations with tunable frequencies exceeding 100 MHz and dephasing times of 1 µs, which we extend beyond 150 µs using echo techniques. These results demonstrate that Ge hole singlet-triplet qubits are competing with state-of-the-art GaAs and Si singlet-triplet qubits. In addition, their rotation frequencies and coherence are comparable with those of Ge single spin qubits, but singlet-triplet qubits can be operated at much lower fields, emphasizing their potential for on-chip integration with superconducting technologies.