Signatures of Majorana Fermions in Hybrid Superconductor-Semiconductor Nanowire Devices
Science, 2012 · paper · Physics
Reports electrical measurements on InSb nanowires contacted to a normal and a superconducting electrode. In magnetic fields around 100 mT, zero-bias states stay fixed at zero energy as field and gate voltage vary, supporting the Majorana fermion hypothesis.
Checked: PDF from arxiv.org, fetched 4 Oct 2026. Page numbers are those of that PDF.
2 findings
Reference or label Fig. 3 caption: "(Note that in (C) the peak extends all the way to -10 V (19) (D) Temperature dependence." The citation is (19), a theory paper (Sau, Tewari, Das Sarma, Phys. Rev. B 85, 064512), for a remark about the measured data in panel C. The supplement is (20). The parenthetical is also never closed.
- p. 9 Fig. 3 caption, note on panel C
peak extends all the way to -10 V (19)
- p. 7 Reference 19
19. J. D. Sau, S. Tewari and S. Das Sarma, Experimental and materials considerations
- p. 7 Reference 20
20. See Supplementary Materials.
- p. 9
(Note that in (C) the peak extends all the way to -10 V (19)
Only the authors can say what is right here.
Judge's note: The page 9 crop shows the caption exactly as quoted: '(19)' in italics, followed directly by '(D)', with no closing parenthesis for '(Note that'. The page 7 crop shows ref. 19 is the theory paper by Sau, Tewari and Das Sarma on experimental and materials considerations, and ref. 20 is 'See Supplementary Materials.' Two lines earlier, the same caption cites '(20)' for a similar remark about the authors' own data ('Split peaks are observed in the range of 7.5 to 10 V (20)'). A pointer to ref. 19 cannot support a statement about where the peak extends in this device's gate sweep, so (20) was probably intended. Only the authors can confirm this, hence author_query. The missing closing parenthesis is visible in the page image.
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Reference or label Figure S14 caption: "Data from the same N‐NW‐N device as in S12". Figure S12 is "Superconductor‐Nanowire‐Superconductor devices"; the N‐NW‐N device is in Figure S13 ("Normal Metal‐Nanowire‐Normal Metal device"), so the pointer should be S13.
- p. 28 Figure S14 caption, first sentence
device as in S12: Gate 1 scan at finite magnetic field
- p. 26 Figure S12 title
Figure S12: Superconductor
- p. 27 Figure S13 title
Figure S13: Normal Metal
- p. 28 Figure S14 caption, first sentence
Data from the same N‐NW‐N device as in S12
Judge's note: The page 26 crop shows the S12 title 'Superconductor-Nanowire-Superconductor devices', and the page 27 crop shows the S13 title 'Normal Metal-Nanowire-Normal Metal device', with gates labelled 1, 2 and 3. The page 28 crop shows the S14 caption reading 'same N-NW-N device as in S12: Gate 1 scan'. The supplement summary on PDF page 14 (main.txt lines 537-538) assigns the N-NW-N zero-bias peaks to 'Fig. S13, S14', so the reference to S12 is a wrong figure pointer.
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11 minor (typos and the like; most checked by the judge only)
Wording Text says the Fig. 2B colour panel covers "B-field from -0.5 to 1 T"; the plotted B axis runs from about -0.46 T to about 0.9 T (last tick 0.75).
- p. 3 Main text, Fig. 2B description
0.5 to 1 T
- p. 11 Figure 2B, B (T) axis
0.75
- p. 3 Results text on Fig. 2B
in the plane of energy and B-field from - 0.5 to 1 T
- p. 11 Figure 2B, B (T) axis
B (T)
Judge's note: Viewed Fig. 2B on p. 11. Ticks at -0.25, 0, 0.25, 0.5, 0.75 are about 90 px apart; the panel's left edge is about 165 px left of the 0 tick and its right edge about 53 px right of the 0.75 tick. That gives roughly -0.46 T to 0.90 T. No statement in the caption or supplement explains a cropped range. The stated range is a rounded description that the panel does not reach; no result depends on it.
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Wording Fig. 3 caption says of the gate-4 sweeps in (B) and (C) "Temperature is 50 mK.", while Fig. S4, described as "an extension of a set displayed in Figs. 3B, 3C of the main paper", is labelled "T = 60 mK".
- p. 9 Fig. 3 caption, panels (B) and (C)
Temperature is 50 mK.
- p. 18 Figure S4 caption
an extension of a set displayed in Figs. 3B, 3C of the main paper
- p. 18 Figure S4 caption, end
2 = 0.2 V, Gate 3 = ‐1.6 V, T = 60 mK)
- p. 24 Figure S10 text
lowest temperature (60 mK)
Judge's note: Viewed p. 9, Fig. 3 on p. 12 and Fig. S4 on p. 18. Fig. 3B,C scan gate 4 from -10 to 0 V; S4 scans -7.5 to 7.5 V at 0, 100 and 200 mT, so S4 may be separate scans taken at a slightly different temperature. Other device-1 data are quoted at 60, 65 and 70 mK, and 60 mK is called the lowest temperature in Fig. 3D and the Fig. S10 text. The paper does not explain the 50 mK value; either form could be legitimate.
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Typo "A Kondo resonance moves with twice Ez (24)": the Zeeman energy subscript is lower-case z here, but E_Z (capital) everywhere else.
- p. 4 Main text, Kondo discussion
Kondo resonance moves with twice Ez (24)
- p. 2 Main text, definition
with the Zeeman energy, EZ
Judge's note: The crop of p. 4 shows a lower-case italic subscript z. The definition on p. 2, the text on p. 3 ('slope of order EZ') and the Fig. 4 caption ('2EZ') use a capital Z. Cosmetic notation inconsistency.
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Typo Reference 14 author list reads "J. D. Sau, S. et al., Non-Abelian quantum order in spin-orbit-coupled semiconductors": a stray initial "S." with no surname before "et al.".
- p. 6 Reference 14
14. J. D. Sau, S. et al.
- p. 6 Reference list, entry 14
14. J. D. Sau, S. et al., Non-Abelian quantum order in spin-orbit-coupled semiconductors
- p. 6 Reference 14
J. D. Sau, S. et al., Non-Abelian quantum order
Judge's note: Viewed the reference list on p. 6: the dangling 'S.' is printed. Other shortened entries (15, 16, 21) use 'Name et al.' with no orphaned initial. The defect is visible on the page; which surname was dropped (reviewers suggest Tewari) is outside knowledge and not needed to confirm it.
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Typo Reference 15 has a space before the colon ("nanocubes : Looking for the sweet spot") and reference 12 has an extra-wide gap in "103, 237001 (2009)".
- p. 6 Reference 15
nanocubes : Looking for the sweet spot
- p. 6 Reference 12
103, 237001 (2009)
Judge's note: Viewed p. 6. The space before the colon in ref. 15 is clear in the image; ref. 14 on the same page has 'semiconductors:' with no space. The extra space after '103,' in ref. 12 is also visible. Purely cosmetic.
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Typo Fig. 1 caption: "Blue and red parabola are for B = 0." uses the singular "parabola" with a plural subject and verb.
- p. 8
Blue and red parabola are for B = 0.
Judge's note: Viewed the crop of p. 8. The singular is printed; two lines later the same caption writes 'crossing of parabolas'. Grammar slip.
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Typo Fig. 3 caption: the parenthesis opened at "(Note that in (C) the peak extends all the way to -10 V (19) (D) Temperature dependence." is never closed and the note has no full stop.
- p. 9 Fig. 3 caption, before (D)
(Note that in (C) the
- p. 9 Fig. 3 caption, before (D)
(Note that in (C) the peak extends all the way to -10 V (19) (D) Temperature dependence.
Judge's note: Viewed p. 9: no closing parenthesis or full stop before '(D)'. Not an extraction artefact. This is a separate defect from the wrong citation number in C010.
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Typo Fig. 3 caption: "dI/dV outside ZBP at V = 100 μeV" gives the bias voltage V in an energy unit; the panel D axis is "V (μV)".
- p. 9 Fig. 3 caption, panel D
outside ZBP at V = 100
- p. 12 Figure 3D x-axis
V (μV)
Judge's note: Viewed the caption on p. 9 and Fig. 3D on p. 12, whose axis is V (μV) from -100 to 100. The quantity is explicitly V, so the unit should be μV. Numerically harmless (E = eV), so rated cosmetic rather than a misleading unit.
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Typo Unbalanced parenthesis: "InSb segment of high mobility (10^4-5·10^4 cm2/(Vs) is grown in the 111 crystal direction" — the bracket opened before 10^4 is never closed.
- p. 15 Nanowire growth details
cm2/(Vs) is
- p. 15
high mobility (104‐5∙104cm2/(Vs) is grown in the 111 crystal direction.
- p. 15 Nanowire growth details
(104‐5∙104cm2/(Vs)
Judge's note: Viewed PDF page 15. Superscripts render correctly on the image; the opening parenthesis before the mobility range has no closing partner (the only ')' closes '(Vs'). Fix: add ')' after '(Vs)'.
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Typo Subject-verb disagreement: "First, stems that consists of InP and InAs segments are grown." ('consists' should be 'consist').
- p. 15 Nanowire growth details
stems that consists of InP and InAs segments
- p. 15
stems that consists of InP and InAs segments are grown.
Judge's note: Viewed PDF page 15; the text is printed exactly as quoted. Plural subject 'stems' (also 'are grown') with singular 'consists'.
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Typo Fig. S5 panel C is labelled "Gate = 2.6 V" while panel B is labelled "Gate 1 = 0.1 V"; the gate number is missing in C.
- p. 19 Figure S5, panel C label
Gate = 2.6 V
- p. 19 Figure S5, panel B label
Gate 1 = 0.1 V
Judge's note: Viewed PDF page 19. Panel A's x-axis is 'Gate 1 (V)' from 0 to 3 with arrows near 0.1 and 2.6 V, and the caption says the arrows mark the traces in B and C, so 'Gate 1 = 2.6 V' is meant. Cosmetic label omission.
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