ABSTRACT - DRUM - University of Maryland
ABSTRACT - DRUM - University of Maryland
ABSTRACT - DRUM - University of Maryland
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Chapter 4<br />
Topological Degeneracy Splitting <strong>of</strong> Majorana<br />
Zero Modes<br />
In the topological quantum computation scheme based on Majorana non-<br />
Abelian vortices in topological superconductors, the quantum information is encoded<br />
in the degenerate ground states when there are multiple non-Abelian vortices<br />
present. The degeneracy is crucial for the topological protection <strong>of</strong> the qubits as well<br />
as the braiding operations on them. Understanding the fate <strong>of</strong> ground-state degeneracy<br />
<strong>of</strong> many-anyon system in realistic solid-state structures is a difficult problem<br />
<strong>of</strong> fundamental importance and <strong>of</strong> relevance to practical realization <strong>of</strong> topological<br />
quantum computing. In this chapter we address one mechanism that may lift the<br />
ground state degeneracy associated with the tunneling processes between spatially<br />
separated vortices. The presence <strong>of</strong> the bulk gap protects ground state degeneracy<br />
from thermal fluctuations at low temperature leaving out only processes <strong>of</strong> Majorana<br />
fermion quantum tunneling between vortices. Generic features <strong>of</strong> tunneling<br />
<strong>of</strong> topological charges have been explored recently [86]. The lifting <strong>of</strong> ground state<br />
degeneracy due to intervortex tunneling for a pair <strong>of</strong> vortices have been studied<br />
numerically for ν = 5/2 quantum Hall state [87, 88], p x + ip y superconductor [89]<br />
and Kitaev’s honeycomb lattice model [90]. Analytical calculation has been carried<br />
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