Atomic and molecular structures on a superconducting surface

Abstract

This Ph. D. thesis studies the physical properties of magnetic impurities and spin chains on s-wavesuperconductors. This is an important field of research that has acquired particular importance in recentyears thanks to technological advances in the study of superconducting surfaces at the atomic level.Within the last decade, an important effort in creating and measuring the properties of spin chains onsuperconductors has been led by the search of Majorana bound states. These emergent quasi-particleshave been proposed as building blocks for default-free quantum computing protocols.The thesis focuses on two superconductors (Pb and ß-Bi2Pd). The research includes both experimentaland theoretical studies, with a focus on understanding the conditions under which Majorana bound statescan be found. The thesis also highligths the use of scanning tunneling microscopy (STM) as a tool forstudying magnetic atoms and molecules on superconducting surfaces.