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arXiv:1911.08120 · Physical review. B./Physical review. B

Quantum phases of a one-dimensional Majorana-Bose-Hubbard model

Ananda Roy, Johannes Hauschild, Frank Pollmann

Published Feb 18, 2020• 10 citations
arXivHTMLPDF

Abstract

Majorana zero modes (MZM-s) occurring at the edges of a one-dimensional (1D), $p$-wave, spinless superconductor, in the absence of fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter, are quintessential examples of topologically protected zero-energy modes occurring at the edges of 1D symmetry-protected topological phases. In this work, we numerically investigate the fate of the topological phase in the presence of phase fluctuations using the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) technique. To that end, we consider a one-dimensional array of MZM-s on mesoscopic superconducting islands at zero temperature. Cooper-pair and MZM-assisted single-electron tunneling, together with finite charging energy of the mesoscopic islands, give rise to a rich phase diagram of this model. We show that the system can be in either a Mott-insulating phase, a Luttinger liquid (LL) phase of Cooper pairs, or a second gapless phase. In contrast to the LL of Cooper pairs, this second phase is characterized by nonlocal string correlation functions which decay algebraically due to gapless charge-$e$ excitations. The three phases are separated from each other by phase transitions of either Kosterlitz-Thouless or Ising type. Using a Jordan-Wigner transformation, we map the system to a generalized Bose-Hubbard model with two types of hopping and use DMRG to analyze the different phases and the phase transitions.

DOI
10.1103/physrevb.101.075419

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Majorana zero modes (MZM-s) occurring at the edges of a one-dimensional (1D), ppp-wave, spinless superconductor, in the absence of fluctuations of the phase of the superconducting order parameter, are quintessential examples of topologically protected zero-energy modes occurring at the edges of 1D symmetry-protected topological phases. In this work, we numerically investigate the fate of the topological phase in the presence of phase fluctuations using the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) technique. To that end, we consider a one-dimensional array of MZM-s on mesoscopic superconducting islands at zero temperature. Cooper-pair and MZM-assisted single-electron tunneling, together with finite charging energy of the mesoscopic islands, give rise to a rich phase diagram of this model. We show that the system can be in either a Mott-insulating phase, a Luttinger liquid (LL) phase of Cooper pairs, or a second gapless phase. In contrast to the LL of Cooper pairs, this second phase is characterized by nonlocal string correlation functions which decay algebraically due to gapless charge-eee excitations. The three phases are separated from each other by phase transitions of either Kosterlitz-Thouless or Ising type. Using a Jordan-Wigner transformation, we map the system to a generalized Bose-Hubbard model with two types of hopping and use DMRG to analyze the different phases and the phase transitions.
The Hubbard and spinless fermion chains are paradigms of strongly correlated systems, very well understood using the Bethe ansatz, density matrix renormalization group (DMRG), and field theory/renormalization group (RG) methods. They have been applied to one-dimensional materials and have provided important insights for understanding higher-dimensional cases. Recently, an interacting fermion model has been introduced, with possible applications to topological materials. It has a single Majorana fermion operator on each lattice site and interactions with the shortest possible range that involve four sites. We present a thorough analysis of the phase diagram of this model in one dimension using field-theory/RG and DMRG methods. It includes a gapped supersymmetric region and a gapless phase with coexisting Luttinger liquid and Ising degrees of freedom. In addition to a first-order transition, three critical points occur: tricritical Ising, Lifshitz, and a generalization of the commensurate-incommensurate transition. We also survey various gapped phases of the system that arise when the translation symmetry is broken by dimerization and find both trivial and topological phases with 0, 1, and 2 Majorana zero modes bound to the edges of the chain with open boundary conditions.
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.
At zero temperature, a two-dimensional lattice of Majorana zero modes on mesoscopic superconducting islands exhibits a topologically ordered toric code phase. Recently, a Landau field theory was used to describe the different phases of the aforementioned system and the phase transitions separating them. While the field theory provides details on the properties of the system close to the phase transitions, signatures of topological ordering in the different phases have not been computed. This is the primary goal of this work. We describe a lattice gauge theory of the Majorana toric code in terms of U(1)\mathrm{U}(1)U(1) matter fields coupled to an emergent Z2{\mathbb{Z}}_{2}Z2​ gauge field. Subsequently, we use a generalized Wilson-loop order parameter, the equal-time Fredenhagen-Marcu order parameter, to characterize the topological ordering in the different phases. Our computation provides evidence of the toric code phase both in the Mott-insulator and the charge-2e2e2e superconductor phases, while showing that the toric code phase disappears in the charge-eee superconductor phase. In addition, we perturbatively analyze the influence of Cooper pair tunneling on the topological gap of the toric code in the limit of strong charging energy and show that the toric code phase is, in fact, stabilized by the Cooper pair tunneling. Our results are relevant for experimental realizations of the Majorana toric code.
We revisit the low-energy physics of one-dimensional spinless fermion liquids, showing that with sufficiently strong interactions the conventional Luttinger liquid can give way to a strong-pairing phase. While the density fluctuations in both phases are described by a gapless Luttinger liquid, single fermion excitations are gapped only in the strong-pairing phase. Smooth spatial Interfaces between the two phases lead to topological degeneracies in the ground-state and low-energy spectrum of the density fluctuations. Using a concrete microscopic model, with both single-particle and pair hopping, we show that the strong-pairing state is established through emergence of a new low-energy fermionic mode. We characterize the two phases with numerical calculations using the density matrix renormalization group. In particular we find enhancement of the central charge from c=1c=1c=1 in the two Luttinger liquid phases to c=3/2c=3/2c=3/2 at the critical point, which gives direct evidence for an emergent critical Majorana mode. Finally, we confirm the existence of topological degeneracies in the low-energy phonon spectrum, associated with spatial interfaces between the two phases.
Majorana modes can arise as zero energy bound states in a variety of solid state systems. A lattice of these quasiparticles, for instance, emerges on the surface of a topological superconductor with the zero modes localized at the cores of vortices. This thesis is devoted to the study of interactions between the Majorana zero modes when such a lattice has a triangular geometry. We map the phase diagram of this model using a combination of mean field theory and numerical simulation of ladders through the density-matrix renormalization-group technique. Our analysis suggests that interactions drive a topologically non-trivial gapped phase into a gapless Luttinger liquid.
Majorana modes can arise as zero energy bound states in a variety of solid state systems. A lattice of these quasiparticles, for instance, emerges on the surface of a topological superconductor with the zero modes localized at the cores of vortices. This thesis is devoted to the study of interactions between the Majorana zero modes when such a lattice has a triangular geometry. We map the phase diagram of this model using a combination of mean field theory and numerical simulation of ladders through the density-matrix renormalization-group technique. Our analysis suggests that interactions drive a topologically non-trivial gapped phase into a gapless Luttinger liquid.