Scientists at QuTech in Delft have for the first time shown the mechanism that enables the creation of the elusive Majorana particle. This particle holds great promise as the building block of a topological quantum computer, which is a novel, and stable type of quantum computer.  Three experimentalists, Jouri Bommer, Hao Zhang and Önder Gül in the group of Leo Kouwenhoven, were able to reveal this mechanism by carefully studying the variations in the behavior of the Majorana device in magnetic fields pointing along various directions. The results provide further support for previous observations of Majorana particles and input for the development of a topological quantum computer. The work is published in Physical Review Letters as an Editor’s Suggestion. Read more