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arXiv:1609.07516 · Scientific Reports

Topologically protected localised states in spin chains

Marta P. Estarellas, Irene D’Amico, Timothy P. Spiller

Published Feb 22, 2017• 53 citations
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Abstract

We consider spin chain families inspired by the Su, Schrieffer and Hegger (SSH) model. We demonstrate explicitly the topologically induced spatial localisation of quantum states in our systems. We present detailed investigations of the effects of random noise, showing that these topologically protected states are very robust against this type of perturbation. Systems with such topological robustness are clearly good candidates for quantum information tasks and we discuss some potential applications. Thus, we present interesting spin chain models which show promising applications for quantum devices.

DOI
10.1038/srep42904

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We consider spin chain families inspired by the Su, Schrieffer and Hegger (SSH) model. We demonstrate explicitly the topologically induced spatial localisation of quantum states in our systems. We present detailed investigations of the effects of random noise, showing that these topologically protected states are very robust against this type of perturbation. Systems with such topological robustness are clearly good candidates for quantum information tasks and we discuss some potential applications. Thus, we present interesting spin chain models which show promising applications for quantum devices.
We consider the topological properties of the so-called central spin model that consists of NNN identical spins coupled to a single distinguishable central spin which arises in physical systems such as circuit-QED and bosonic Josephson junctions coupled to an impurity atom. The model closely corresponds to the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger (SSH) model except that the chain of sites in the SSH model is replaced by a chain of states in Fock space specifying the magnetization. We find that the model accommodates topologically protected eigenstates that are `Bell-cat' states consisting of a Schrödinger cat state of the NNN spins that is maximally entangled with the central spin, and show how this state can be adiabatically created and moved along the chain by driving the central spin. The Bell-cat states are visualized by plotting their Wigner function and we explore their robustness against random noise by solving the master equation for the density matrix. We also explain the essential topological difference between identical spins and the excitations of a bosonic mode.
Both the Haldane spin-111 chain and dimerized chains of spin-1/21/21/2 exhibit topologically protected edge states that are robust against specific perturbations. Recently, such spin chains have been specifically assembled on surfaces and we investigate here the robustness of these edge states against coupling to the surface. Since no physical system can be considered perfectly isolated, it is crucial to examine whether topological robustness is maintained in the presence of environmental coupling. We apply exact diagonalization to a Lindblad master equation that couples an alternating Heisenberg spin chain based on spins 1/21/21/2 to a surface via various jump operators. The robustness of topological states is assessed via the time evolution of quantities such as the ground-state degeneracy, correlation function, entropy, and magnetization of edge states. We investigate chains built from dimers with antiferromagnetic and ferromagnetic intra-dimer coupling, which resemble Su-Schrieffer-Heeger and the Haldane models, resp., and assess the impact of zzz-axis anisotropy and longer-ranged couplings. Generally, we find that signatures of topological properties are more robust in Su-Schrieffer-Heeger-like chains than in Haldane-like chains.
Topological properties of quantum systems could provide protection of information against environmental noise, and thereby drastically advance their potential in quantum information processing. Most proposals for topologically protected quantum gates are based on many-body systems, e.g., fractional quantum Hall states, exotic superconductors, or ensembles of interacting spins, bearing an inherent conceptual complexity. Here, we propose and study a topologically protected quantum gate, based on a one-dimensional single-particle tight-binding model, known as the Su-Schrieffer-Heeger chain. The proposed YYY gate acts in the two-dimensional zero-energy subspace of a Y junction assembled from three chains, and is based on the spatial exchange of the defects supporting the zero-energy modes. With numerical simulations, we demonstrate that the gate is robust against hopping disorder but is corrupted by disorder in the on-site energy. Then we show that this robustness is topological protection, and that it arises as a joint consequence of chiral symmetry, time-reversal symmetry, and the spatial separation of the zero-energy modes bound to the defects. This setup will most likely not lead to a practical quantum computer; nevertheless it does provide valuable insight to aspects of topological quantum computing as an elementary minimal model. Since this model is noninteracting and nonsuperconducting, its dynamics can be studied experimentally, e.g., using coupled optical waveguides.
Abstract Fast and robust quantum state transfer (QST) is a major requirement in quantum control and in scalable quantum information processing. Topological protection has emerged as a promising route for the realization of QST robust against sizable imperfections in the network. Here, a scheme is presented for robust QST of topologically protected edge states in a dimeric Su–Schrieffer–Heeger spin chain assisted by Landau–Zener tunneling. As compared to topological QST protocols based on Rabi flopping proposed in recent works, the method is more advantageous in terms of robustness against both diagonal and off‐diagonal disorder in the chain, without a substantial increase of the interaction time.
Anderson localisation is an important phenomenon arising in many areas of physics, and here we explore it in the context of quantum information devices. Finite dimensional spin chains have been demonstrated to be important devices for quantum information transport, and in particular can be engineered to allow for “perfect state transfer” (PST). Here we present extensive investigations of disordered PST spin chains, demonstrating spatial localisation and transport retardation effects, and relate these effects to conventional Anderson localisation. We provide thresholds for Anderson localisation in these finite quantum information systems for both the spatial and the transport domains. Finally, we consider the effect of disorder on the eigenstates and energy spectrum of our Hamiltonian, where results support our conclusions on the presence of Anderson localisation.
Both the Haldane spin chain and a topologically dimerized chain feature topologically protected edge states that are expected to be robust against some kind of noise. To elucidate whether it might be feasible to create such edge states in dimerized chains in a controlled manner in solid states environments, e.g., as spin chains on surfaces, as has already been successfully achieved with the Haldane chain, we investigate their robustness with respect to long-range coupling, anisotropies, and finite chain length. The theoretical investigation is based on an alternating Heisenberg spin chain with spin-1/21/21/2, which is investigated using exact diagonalization. We find that dimerized chains and Haldane chains have robustness against long-range coupling and anisotropies. In particular, dimerized spin chains are significantly more robust than Haldane chains.