Approximating the Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev model with Majorana wires*

The Sachdev-Ye-Kitaev (SYK) model describes a collection of randomly interacting Majorana fermions that exhibits profound connections to quantum chaos and black holes. I will discuss a potential solid-state implementation based on a quantum dot coupled to an array of topological superconducting wires hosting Majorana zero modes. Interactions and disorder intrinsic to the dot mediate the desired random Majorana couplings, while an approximate symmetry suppresses additional unwanted terms. Random matrix theory and numerics show that this setup indeed emulates the SYK model (with certain corrections). Tunneling measurements provide an appealing first experimental test of this scenario.