We demonstrate how to build a simulation of two-dimensional (2D) physical theories describing topologically ordered systems whose excitations are in one-to-one correspondence with irreducible representations of a Hopf algebra, D( G ), the quantum double of a finite group G . Our simulation uses a digital sequence of operations in a spin lattice model originally due to Kitaev to prepare a ground 'vacuum' state and to create, braid and fuse anyonic excitations. The simulation works with or without the presence of a background Hamiltonian though only in the latter case is the system topologically protected. We describe a physical realization of a simulation of the simplest non-Abelian model, D( S 3 ), using trapped neutral atoms in a 2D optical lattice and provide a sequence of steps to perform universal quantum computation with anyons. The use of ancillary spin degrees of freedom figures prominently in our construction and provides a novel technique to prepare and probe these systems.
We demonstrate how to build a simulation of two-dimensional (2D) physical theories describing topologically ordered systems whose excitations are in one-to-one correspondence with irreducible representations of a Hopf algebra, D( G ), the quantum double of a finite group G . Our simulation uses a digital sequence of operations in a spin lattice model originally due to Kitaev to prepare a ground 'vacuum' state and to create, braid and fuse anyonic excitations. The simulation works with or without the presence of a background Hamiltonian though only in the latter case is the system topologically protected. We describe a physical realization of a simulation of the simplest non-Abelian model, D( S 3 ), using trapped neutral atoms in a 2D optical lattice and provide a sequence of steps to perform universal quantum computation with anyons. The use of ancillary spin degrees of freedom figures prominently in our construction and provides a novel technique to prepare and probe these systems.
Exactly solvable models of topologically ordered phases with non-abelian anyons typically require complicated many-body interactions which do not naturally appear in nature. This motivates the "inverse problem" of quantum many-body physics: given microscopic systems with experimentally realistic two-body interactions, how to design a Hamiltonian that realizes a desired topological phase? Here we solve this problem on a platform motivated by Rydberg atoms, where elementary two-level systems couple via simple blockade interactions. Within this framework, we construct Hamiltonians that realize topological orders described by non-abelian quantum double models. We analytically prove the existence of topological order in the ground state, and present efficient schemes to prepare these states. We also introduce protocols for the controlled adiabatic braiding of anyonic excitations to probe their non-abelian statistics. Our construction is generic and applies to quantum doubles D(G) for arbitrary finite groups G. We illustrate braiding for the simplest non-abelian quantum double D(S3).
Realizing non-Abelian topological orders and their anyon excitations is an esteemed objective. In this work, we propose a novel approach towards this goal: quantum simulating topological orders in the doubled Hilbert space---the space of density matrices. We show that ground states of all quantum double models (toric code being the simplest example) can be efficiently prepared in the doubled Hilbert space; only finite-depth local operations are needed. In contrast, this is not the case in the conventional Hilbert space: ground states of only some of these models are known to be efficiently preparable. Additionally, we find that nontrivial anyon braiding effects, both Abelian and non-Abelian, can be realized in the doubled Hilbert space, although the intrinsic nature of density matrices restricts possible excitations.
The finding of physical realizations of topologically ordered states in experimental settings, from condensed matter to artificial quantum systems, has been the main challenge en route to utilizing their unconventional properties.We show how to realize a large class of topologically ordered states and simulate their quasiparticle excitations on a digital quantum computer.To achieve this, we design a set of linear-depth quantum circuits to generate ground states of general string-net models together with unitary open-string operators to simulate the creation and braiding of Abelian and non-Abelian anyons.We show that the Abelian (non-Abelian) unitary string operators can be implemented with a constant-(linear-) depth quantum circuit.Our scheme allows us to directly probe characteristic topological properties, including topological entanglement entropy, braiding statistics, and fusion channels of anyons.Moreover, this set of efficiently prepared topologically ordered states has potential applications in the development of fault-tolerant quantum computers.
Quantum simulations are an invaluable tool in condensed matter physics, enabling the precise generation and control of physical phenomena abstracted from the complexity of the underlying many-body system. At the heart of such complexity lies entanglement, the intrinsically quantum correlations that have attracted renewed interest as a fundamental resource in quantum computation and information. In this thesis, we explore the use of one- and two-dimensional lattice models to simulate and harness such correlations for next-generation quantum technologies. We begin in one dimension with a spin-chain model that allows complete control over bipartite correlation structures. Specifically, we introduce a model of nearest-neighbour couplings and transverse field terms, whose exact solution yields a q-deformed rainbow ground state formed from a tensor product of q-deformed singlets, each with directly tunable entanglement. This framework acts as a universal simulator of free-fermion entanglement spectra, with numerical studies confirming high-fidelity realisations across a range of examples. We then turn to strong correlations in two dimensions, where topologically ordered systems host exotic quasiparticles known as anyons. Braiding non-Abelian anyons enacts unitary transformations on a logically encoded fusion space, offering a natural pathway to fault-tolerant quantum computation. Using Kitaev’s quantum double model D(G), we focus on the smallest non-Abelian instance, D(S3), realised on a lattice of d=6 qudits. We develop a minimal protocol in which braiding and fusion are simulated solely through operators that create and measure anyons, demonstrating that D(S3) anyons generate magic states, a vital resource for universal quantum computation. Finally, a dense encoding scheme is presented, rendering the minimal realisation of this protocol accessible with current quantum technologies and a circuit model for realisation within the framework of linear optics is presented. Notably, error analysis of this encoding scheme reveals an inherent passive protection provided by the topological encoding, extending beyond conventional notions of topological fault tolerance.
Anyons are quasiparticles that may be realized in two dimensional systems. They come in two types, the simpler Abelian anyons and the more complex non-Abelian anyons. Both of these have been considered as a means for quantum computation, but non-Abelian anyons are usually assumed to be better suited to the task. Here we challenge this view, demonstrating that Abelian anyon models have as much potential as some simple non-Abelian models. First the means to perform quantum computation with Abelian anyon models is considered. These models, like many non-Abelian models, cannot realize universal quantum computation by braiding alone. Non-topological operations must be used in addition, whose complexity depends on the physical means by which the anyons are realized. Here we consider anyons based on spin lattice models, with single spin measurements playing the role of non-topological operations. The computational power achieved by various kinds of measurement is explored and the requirements for universality are determined. The possibility to simulate non-Abelian anyons using Abelian ones is then considered. Finally, a non-Abelian quantum memory is dissected in order to determine the means by which it provides fault-tolerant storage of information. This understanding is then employed to build equivalent quantum memories with Abelian anyon models. The methodology provides with the means to demonstrate that Abelian models have the capability to simulate non-Abelian anyons, and to realize the same computational power and fault-tolerance as non Abelian models. Apart from the intellectual interest in relating topological models with each other, and of understanding the properties of non-Abelian anyons in terms of the simpler Abelian ones, these results can also be applied in the lab. The simpler structure of Abelian anyons means that their physical realization is more straightforward. The demonstration of non-Abelian properties with Abelian models therefore allows features of non-Abelian anyons to be realized with present and near future technology. Based on this possibility, proposals are made here for proof of principle experiments.
Models for topological quantum computation are based on braiding and fusing anyons (quasiparticles of fractional statistics) in (2+1)-D. The anyons that can exist in a physical theory are determined by the symmetry group of the Hamiltonian. In the case that the Hamiltonian undergoes spontaneous symmetry breaking of the full symmetry group G to a finite residual gauge group H, particles are given by representations of the quantum double D(H) of the subgroup. The quasi-triangular Hopf Algebra D(H) is obtained from Drinfeld's quantum double construction applied to the algebra F(H) of functions on the finite group H. A major new contribution of this work is a program written in MAGMA to compute the particles (and their properties - including spin) that can exist in a system with an arbitrary finite residual gauge group, in addition to the braiding and fusion rules for those particles. We compute explicitly the fusion rules for two non-abelian group doubles suggested for universal quantum computation: S3 and A5, and discover some interesting results, subsystems, and symmetries in the tables. SO(3)_4 (the restriction of Chern-Simons theory SU(2)4) and its mirror image are discovered as 3-particle subsystems in the 8-particle S3 quantum double. The tables demonstrate that both S3 and A5 anyons are all Majorana, but this is not the case for all finite groups. In the appendices, the quantum doubles for the remaining nonabelian subgroups of SO(3) - S4, A4, and D4 (the second in the infinite family Dn) - are tabulated and analyzed. In addition, the probabilities of obtaining any given fusion product in quantum computation applications are determined and programmed in MAGMA. Throughout, connections to possible experiments are mentioned.