Measuring Majorana nonlocality and spin structure with a quantum dot

Robust zero-bias transport anomalies in semiconducting nanowires with proximity-induced superconductivity have been convincingly demonstrated in various experiments. While these are compatible with the existence of Majorana zero modes at the ends of the nanowire, a direct proof of their nonlocality and topological protection is now needed. Here we show that a quantum dot at the end of the nanowire may be used as a powerful spectroscopic tool to quantify the degree of Majorana nonlocality through a local transport measurement. Moreover, the spin polarization of dot subgap states at singlet-doublet transitions in the Coulomb blockade regime allows the dot to directly probe the spin structure of the Majorana wave function and indirectly measure the spin-orbit coupling of the nanowire.