Multiple Majorana zero modes in atomic Fermi double wires with spin-orbit coupling

Abstract

Majorana zero modes, quasiparticles with non-Abelian statistics, have gained increasing interest for their fundamental role as building blocks in topological quantum computation. Previous studies have mainly focused on two well-separated Majorana zero modes, which could form two degenerate states serving as one nonlocal qubit for fault-tolerant quantum memory. However, creating and manipulating multiple Majorana zero modes, which could encode more qubits, remain an ongoing research topic. Here we report that multiple Majorana zero modes can exist in atomic Fermi double wires with spin-orbit coupling and perpendicular Zeeman field. This system belongs to the topological BDI class, thus all the topological superfluids are classified by integer numbers. Especially, diverse topological superfluids can be formed in a trap, where the zero energy modes can be found at the interfaces between different topological superfluids. The structure of these zero energy modes in the trap can be engineered by the trapping potential as well as other system parameters. This system would be a significant step towards utilization of Majorana zero modes in quantum computation.