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arXiv:1007.4204 · Physical Review A

Universal quantum computation in a semiconductor quantum wire network

Jay Deep Sau, Sumanta Tewari, S. Das Sarma

Published Nov 19, 2010• 129 citations
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Abstract

Universal quantum computation (UQC) using Majorana fermions on a two-dimensional topological superconducting (TS) medium remains an outstanding open problem. This is because the quantum gate set that can be generated by braiding of the Majorana fermions does not include any two-qubit gate and also no single-qubit $\ensuremath{\pi}/8$ phase gate. In principle, it is possible to create these crucial extra gates using quantum interference of Majorana fermion currents. However, it is not clear if the motion of the various order parameter defects (vortices, domain walls, etc.), to which the Majorana fermions are bound in a TS medium, can be quantum coherent. We show that these obstacles can be overcome using a semiconductor quantum wire network in the vicinity of an $s$-wave superconductor, by constructing topologically protected two-qubit gates and any arbitrary single-qubit phase gate in a topologically unprotected manner, which can be error corrected using magic-state distillation. Thus our strategy, using a judicious combination of topologically protected and unprotected gate operations, realizes UQC on a quantum wire network with a remarkably high error threshold of $0.14$ as compared to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}$ to ${10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}$ in ordinary unprotected quantum computation.

DOI
10.1103/physreva.82.052322

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Universal quantum computation (UQC) using Majorana fermions on a two-dimensional topological superconducting (TS) medium remains an outstanding open problem. This is because the quantum gate set that can be generated by braiding of the Majorana fermions does not include any two-qubit gate and also no single-qubit \ensuremathπ/8\ensuremath{\pi}/8\ensuremathπ/8 phase gate. In principle, it is possible to create these crucial extra gates using quantum interference of Majorana fermion currents. However, it is not clear if the motion of the various order parameter defects (vortices, domain walls, etc.), to which the Majorana fermions are bound in a TS medium, can be quantum coherent. We show that these obstacles can be overcome using a semiconductor quantum wire network in the vicinity of an sss-wave superconductor, by constructing topologically protected two-qubit gates and any arbitrary single-qubit phase gate in a topologically unprotected manner, which can be error corrected using magic-state distillation. Thus our strategy, using a judicious combination of topologically protected and unprotected gate operations, realizes UQC on a quantum wire network with a remarkably high error threshold of 0.140.140.14 as compared to 10\ensuremath−3{10}^{\ensuremath{-}3}10\ensuremath−3 to 10\ensuremath−4{10}^{\ensuremath{-}4}10\ensuremath−4 in ordinary unprotected quantum computation.
The idea of topological quantum computation (TQC) is to store and manipulate quantum information in an intrinsically fault-tolerant manner by utilizing the physics of topologically ordered phases of matter. Currently, one of the most promising platforms for a topological qubit is in terms of Majorana fermion zero modes (MZMs) in spin-orbit coupled superconducting nanowires. However, the topologically robust operations that are possible with MZMs can be efficiently simulated on a classical computer and are therefore not sufficient for realizing a universal gate set for TQC. Here, we show that an array of coupled semiconductor-superconductor nanowires with MZM edge states can be used to realize a more sophisticated type of non-Abelian defect: a genon in an Ising ×\times× Ising topological state. This leads to a possible implementation of the missing topologically protected π/8π/8π/8 phase gate and thus universal TQC based on semiconductor-superconductor nanowire technology. We provide detailed numerical estimates of the relevant energy scales, which we show to lie within accessible ranges.
Topological quantum computation by way of braiding of Majorana fermions is not universal quantum computation. There are several attempts to make universal quantum computation by introducing some additional quantum gates or quantum states. However, there is a serious problem in embedding an MMM-qubit quantum gate in the NNN-qubit system with N>MN>MN>M. This is an inherent problem to the Majorana system, where quantum gates for logical qubits become nonlocal in terms of physical qubits in general because braiding operations preserve the fermion parity. For instance, the CZ gate could not be embedded in the three-qubit system. We overcome this embedding problem by introducing 2(N+1)2(N+1)2(N+1)-body interactions of Majorana fermions in the NNN-qubit system. A universal set of quantum gates is constructed for NNN logical qubits, leading to topological-nontopological hybrid universal quantum computation. It would be more robust than conventional universal quantum computation because the quantum gates generated by braiding are topologically protected.
Surface codes represent a promising route towards universal fault-tolerant quantum computation, allowing for the protection of stored quantum states against many types of errors. This theoretical work shows that, in addition, a significantly enhanced versatility in quantum information processing is expected when qubits are encoded into the Majorana bound states in topological superconductor-semiconductor heterostructures. In view of recent experimental evidence for Majorana states in such heterostructures, a two-dimensional network of interacting Majorana states thus may feature key advantages towards the long-term goal of a functional quantum computer. The authors discuss how topologically protected logical qubits in this Majorana surface code architecture can be defined, initialized, manipulated, and read out. The physical ingredients needed to implement such operations are familiar from topologically trivial quantum devices. In particular, by employing quantum interference terms in conductance measurements, composite single-electron pumping protocols, and gate-tunable tunnel barriers, the full set of gates required for universal quantum computation can be implemented.
We propose and analyze a physical system capable of performing topological quantum computation with Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in a one-dimensional topological superconductor (1DTS). One of the leading methods to realize quantum gates in a 1DTS is to use T junctions, which allows one to maneuver MZMs in such a manner as to achieve braiding. In this paper, we propose a scheme for implementing quantum logical gates in a purely one-dimensional geometry without T junctions, instead replacing it with an auxiliary qubit. This has the additional benefit of introducing a non-Clifford gate, corresponding to one- and two-logical-qubit ZZZ rotations. We first design a topologically protected logical ZZZ gate based entirely on local interactions within the 1DTS. Using an auxiliary qubit coupled to the topological superconductors, we extend the ZZZ gate to non-Clifford single- and multiqubit arbitrary rotations with partial topological protection. Finally, to perform universal quantum computing, we introduce a scheme for performing arbitrary unitary rotations, albeit without topological protection. We develop a formalism based on unitary braids which creates transitions between different topological phases of the 1DTS system. The unitary formalism can be simply converted to an equivalent adiabatic scheme, which we numerically simulate, and we show that high-fidelity operations should be possible with reasonable parameters.
It is shown that anisotropic spin chains with gapped bulk excitations and magnetically ordered ground states offer a promising platform for quantum computation, which bridges the conventional single-spin-based qubit concept with recently developed topological Majorana-based proposals. We show how to realize the single-qubit Hadamard, phase, and $\ensuremath{\pi}/8$ gates as well as the two-qubit controlled-not (cnot) gate, which together form a fault-tolerant universal set of quantum gates. The gates are implemented by judiciously controlling Ising exchange and magnetic fields along a network of spin chains, with each individual qubit furnished by a spin-chain segment. A subset of single-qubit operations is geometric in nature, relying on control of anisotropy of spin interactions rather than their strength. We contrast topological aspects of the anisotropic spin-chain networks to those of ppp-wave superconducting wires discussed in the literature.
Quantum information protected by the topology of the storage medium is expected to exhibit long coherence times. Another feature is topologically protected gates generated through braiding of Majorana bound states (MBSs). However, braiding requires structures with branched topological segments which have inherent difficulties in the semiconductor–superconductor heterostructures now believed to host MBSs. In this paper, we construct quantum bits taking advantage of the topological protection and non-local properties of MBSs in a network of parallel wires, but without relying on braiding for quantum gates. The elementary unit is made from three topological wires, two wires coupled by a trivial superconductor and the third acting as an interference arm. Coulomb blockade of the combined wires spawns a fractionalized spin, non-locally addressable by quantum dots used for single-qubit readout, initialization, and manipulation. We describe how the same tools allow for measurement-based implementation of the Clifford gates, in total making the architecture universal. Proof-of-principle demonstration of topologically protected qubits using existing techniques is therefore within reach.