Physics Commons^™

Polarizing Majorana Fermions, William Miyahira

Summer Research

Classically, a spin-1/2 fermion can interact electromagnetically via four methods: its charge, electric and magnetic dipole moments, and anapole moment. One can polarize a collection of these particles, such that their spins align, by applying an external field or current. The particle experiences a torque that aligns its spin with the direction of the applied field or current. A Majorana fermion is a particle that is its own antiparticle, which means that it can only interact with currents via its anapole moment. These particles are natural candidates for dark matter particles given their electromagnetic properties. One could indirectly observe dark …