Oxford researchers have developed a powerful new technique to identify materials capable of supporting stable quantum states, marking a major step toward scalable, fault-tolerant quantum computing. In this new study, the Oxford researchers verified that the known superconductor uranium ditelluride (UTe 2) is an intrinsic topological superconductor. The researchers used a scanning tunneling microscope (STM), which uses an atomically sharp superconducting probe to obtain ultra-high-resolution images at the atomic scale, without using light or electron beams. The experiments used an entirely new operating mode invented by Professor Séamus Davis (called the Andreev STM technique). This method is specifically attuned only to electrons in a special quantum state (topological surface state) that is predicted to cover the surface of intrinsic topological superconductors. When implemented, the method performed exactly as theory suggested, enabling the researchers to not only detect the topological surface state but also to identify the intrinsic topological superconductivity of the material. The results indicated that UTe2 is indeed an intrinsic topological superconductor, but not exactly the kind physicists have been searching for. Although, based on the reported phenomena, Majorana quantum particles are believed to exist in this material, they occur in pairs and cannot be separated from each other. The technique now enables researchers to efficiently screen other materials for topological superconductivity, potentially replacing complex and costly synthetic quantum circuits with simpler, crystalline alternatives.