Observation of Majorana-like bound states in metamaterial-based Kitaev chain analogs

Abstract

We experimentally demonstrate that Majorana-like bound states (MLBSs) can occur in quasi-one-dimensional metamaterials, analogous to Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in the Kitaev chain in terms of mode spectrum and mode wave functions. In a mechanical spinner ladder system, we observe a topological phase transition and spectral-gap-protected edge MLBSs. We characterize phase controllable hybridization and the decaying and oscillatory nature of these MLBS pairs. It is shown that the hybridization can be tuned to yield the analog of parity switching in MZMs. We find strong agreements with theory.