Designer topology in graphene nanoribbons

Abstract

[...]states are produced at the junctions between the nanoribbon segments. Because nanoribbons are essentially one-dimensional, each of these gapless junction states is simply an individual electron orbital localized in the vicinity of the intersection. The authors used a combination of scanning tunnelling microscopy and spectroscopy to probe and visualize the electronic properties of the nanoribbons with atomic-scale spatial resolution (Fig. 1b). [...]the authors suggest that, when in contact with a superconductor, the nanoribbons could act as a topological superconductor - another fascinating class of topological electronic state that might have applications in quantum computing. ?