Probing Majorana fermions in spin-orbit-coupled atomic Fermi gases

We examine theoretically the visualization of Majorana fermions in a two-dimensional trapped ultracold atomic Fermi gas with spin-orbit coupling. By increasing an external Zeeman field, the trapped gas transits from a nontopological to a topological superfluid, via a mixed phase in which both types of superfluids coexist. We show that the zero-energy Majorana fermion, supported by the topological superfluid and localized at the vortex core, may be visible through (i) the core density and (ii) the local density of states, which are readily measurable in experiment. We present a realistic estimate on experimental parameters for ultracold 40K atoms.