Superconducting and topological hybrids, reducing degrees of freedom towards the limit

This thesis is devoted to the study of superconducting and topological hybrids. Superconducting charge transport is mediated by Cooper pairs, which can be used to generate spatially separated nonlocal entangled particles by coupling two spatially separated normal electrodes to a superconductor. Superconducting charge transport can also extend to non-superconducting materials via the proximity effect. When two closely separated superconductors are connected by another material, a Josephson supercurrent can flow between the superconductors. Unconventional superconductivity can arise at the interface by designing the right interlayers. Of particular importance are the magnetic properties of the interlayer. When the interlayer is ferromagnetic, a p-wave order parameter can be induced. However, at the same time the ferromagnetic interlayer can have a proximity effect on the superconductor via magnetic exchange and stray �elds. p-wave superconductivity can also be realized by using topological insulators as interlayer, ultimately leading to the observation of a new emergent particle: the Majorana fermion.