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arXiv:1201.3253 · New Journal of Physics

Preparing and probing atomic Majorana fermions and topological order in optical lattices

C V Kraus, S Diehl, P Zoller, M A Baranov

Published Nov 27, 2012• 60 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

We introduce a one-dimensional system of fermionic atoms in an optical lattice whose phase diagram includes topological states of different symmetry classes with a simple possibility to switch between them. The states and topological phase transitions between them can be identified by looking at their zero-energy edge modes which are Majorana fermions. We propose several universal methods of detecting the Majorana edge states, based on their genuine features: the zero-energy, localized character of the wave functions and the induced non-local fermionic correlations.

DOI
10.1088/1367-2630/14/11/113036

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We introduce a one-dimensional system of fermionic atoms in an optical lattice whose phase diagram includes topological states of different symmetry classes with a simple possibility to switch between them. The states and topological phase transitions between them can be identified by looking at their zero-energy edge modes which are Majorana fermions. We propose several universal methods of detecting the Majorana edge states, based on their genuine features: the zero-energy, localized character of the wave functions and the induced non-local fermionic correlations.
Abstract I analyze the emergence of Majorana zero modes (MZM) in a one dimensional ultracold fermionic system confined by an optical lattice inside a high-Q cavity. This forms a quantum optical lattice due to the cavity backaction, with emergent long range interactions controlled by the light pumped into the system and thus long range pairing. I investigate the possibility of formation and emergence of edge modes using exact diagonalization with self-consistent order parameters and singular value decomposition of the Hamiltonian in the Majorana representation. I analyze the spectral properties of the system, the mass gap and amplitude of the MZM with a unified framework. The interplay of cavity induced interactions and effective p -wave short range interactions controls the emergence of the signatures of MZM. I find that under certain conditions MZM distinctively emerge leading to superradiant topological phases of matter. These MZM have potential applications for quantum information as they are topologically protected analogous to the behavior of the Kitaev chain. The techniques employed lead to a scheme based on the Majorana representation and exact diagonalization with self consistent conditions using Hartree–Fock–Bogoliubov theory in real space for finite systems that can be applied to other fermionic and analog systems termed Light-Matter-Majorana. A promising landscape for the exploration of short range and long range topological order with superradiance is found.
In this thesis, we study quantum phase transitions and topological phases in low dimensional fermionic systems. In the first part, we study quantum phase transitions and the nature of currents in one-dimensional systems, using field theoretic techniques like bosonization and renormalization group. This involves the study of currents in Luttinger liquids, and the fate of a persistent current in a 1D system. In the second part of the thesis, we study the different types of Majorana edge modes in a 1D p-wave topological superconductor. Further we extend our analysis to the effect of an additional s-wave pairing and a Zeeman field on the topological properties, and present a detailed phase diagram and symmetry classification for each of the cases. In the third part, we concentrate on the topological phases in two-dimensional systems. More specifically, we study the experimental realization of SU(3) topological phases in optical lattice experiments, which is characterized by the presence of gapless edge modes at the boundaries of the system. We discuss the specific characteristics required by a such a three component Hamiltonian to have a non-zero Chern number, and discuss a schematic lattice model for a possible experimental realization.
I analyze the emergence of Majorana zero modes (MZM) in a one dimensional ultracold fermionic system confined by an optical lattice inside a high-Q cavity. This forms a quantum optical lattice due to the cavity backaction, with emergent long range interactions controlled by the light pumped into the system and thus long range pairing. I investigate the possibility of formation and emergence of edge modes using exact diagonalization and singular value decomposition of the Hamiltonian in the Majorana representation, while computing the mass gap of the MZM and its spectral properties. The interplay of cavity induced interactions and effective ppp-wave short range interactions controls the emergence of the signatures of MZM. I find that under certain conditions MZM distinctively emerge leading to a superradiant topological phase of matter. These MZM have potential applications for quantum information as they are topologically protected analogous to the behaviour of the Kitaev chain. The techniques employed lead to a scheme based on the Majorana representation and exact diagonalization with self consistent conditions that can be applied to other fermionic and analog systems termed Light-Matter-Majorana.
We develop an experimental protocol based on Floquet-engineered ultracold fermions in optical lattices, enabling the emulation of pair-hopping and competing singlet/triplet pairing interactions. Through large-scale density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) simulations, we uncover three emergent topological phases: (i) A Majorana-enabled spin-density-wave (MS) phase featuring exponentially localized edge charges, non-local fermionic edge correlations, and doubly degenerate entanglement spectra; (ii) A z-axis polarized triplet superconducting (TS) phase exhibiting fractionalized edge spins (S=1/4 per edge), two-fold ground state degeneracy and a bulk single-particle gap; (iii) A hybrid x-directional triplet superconducting (XTS) phase that uniquely combines fractional spin textures and Majorana-type edge correlations, defining a new universality class of hybrid orders in number-conserving systems. These findings establish a universal framework for engineering non-Abelian topological matter, crucially bypassing the need for external pairing fields while maintaining experimental feasibility with current cold-atom techniques.
Majorana zero modes are the hallmark of topological superconductivity. In one-dimensional systems, these zero modes are usually introduced in the context of gapped, mean-field models that do not conserve particle number, such as the Kitaev chain. By non-locally encoding a conventional fermion across spatially separated Majorana zero modes, these systems become inherently immune to local decoherence. In this work, we show that signatures of Majorana edge physics persist in a number-conserving, gapless Luttinger liquid of spinless fermions with short-range attractive interactions. We identify the two-point correlator as a sharp diagnostic, revealing an edge-to-edge revival whose sign depends on the fermion-number parity. This revival is robust in the thermodynamic limit, and persists in the excited states of the system and at different fillings. A simple particle-hole ansatz for the ground state of the system with an odd number of fermions captures the physics of the system for a wide range of interaction strengths, interpolating between the free-fermion limit and the strongly interacting Majorana regime. Finally, we propose a concrete protocol to realize this model with ultracold dipolar molecules or atoms in an optical lattice, and to detect the revival via beam-splitter interferometry, opening an experimental route to Majorana physics beyond the conventional gapped-superconductor paradigm.
We describe how microwave spectroscopy of cold fermions in quasi-1D traps can be used to detect, manipulate, and entangle exotic nonlocal qubits associated with ``Majorana'' edge modes. We present different approaches to generate the ppp-wave superfluidity which is responsible for these topological zero-energy edge modes. We find that the edge modes have clear signatures in the microwave spectrum and that the line shape distinguishes between the degenerate states of a qubit encoded in these edge modes. Moreover, the microwaves rotate the system in its degenerate ground-state manifold. We use these rotations to implement a set of universal quantum gates, allowing the system to be used as a universal quantum computer.