Braiding Operations Research Articles

Non-Abelian braiding in three-fold degenerate subspace and the acceleration

Non-Abelian braiding operations of quantum states have attracted substantial attention due to their great potentials for realizing topological quantum computations. The adiabatic version of quantum braiding is robust against systematic errors, yet will suffer from decoherence and dephasing effects due to a long evolution time. In this paper, we propose to realize the braiding process in a three-fold degenerate subspace of a seven-level system, where the non-Abelian effect can be detected by changing the orders of the braiding. We accelerate the adiabatic control through adding auxiliary coupling terms according to a shortcut to adiabatic theory for the non-Abelian case. Furthermore, by generalizing the parallel adiabatic passages, adiabatic control can be accelerated through only reshaping the original control waveforms and the effective pulses area will be significantly reduced. Therefore, the proposed schemes may provide an experimentally feasible way to investigate the non-Abelian braiding in atomic systems and the waveguide systems.

Experimental quantum simulation of a topologically protected Hadamard gate via braiding Fibonacci anyons

Topological quantum computation (TQC) is one of the most striking architectures that can realize fault-tolerant quantum computers. In TQC, the logical space and the quantum gates are topologically protected, i.e., robust against local disturbances. The topological protection, however, requires complicated lattice models and hard-to-manipulate dynamics; even the simplest system that can realize universal TQC-the Fibonacci anyon system-lacks a physical realization, letalone braiding the non-Abelian anyons. Here, we propose a disk model that can simulate the Fibonacci anyon system and construct the topologically protected logical spaces with the Fibonacci anyons. Via braiding the Fibonacci anyons, we can implement universal quantum gates on the logical space. Our disk model merely requires two physical qubits to realize three Fibonacci anyons at the boundary. By 15 sequential braiding operations, we construct a topologically protected Hadamard gate, which is to date the least-resource requirement for TQC. To showcase, we implement a topological Hadamard gate with two nuclear spin qubits, which reaches fidelity by randomized benchmarking. We further prove by experiment that the logical space and Hadamard gate are topologically protected: local disturbances due to thermal fluctuations result in a global phase only. As a platform-independent proposal, our work is a proof of principle of TQC and paves the way toward fault-tolerant quantum computation.

The Yang–Baxter equation and Thompson’s group F

We define non-degenerate involutive partial solutions as a generalization of non-degenerate involutive set-theoretical solutions of the quantum Yang–Baxter equation (QYBE). The induced operator is not a classical solution of the QYBE, but a braiding operator as in conformal field theory. We define the structure inverse monoid of a non-degenerate involutive partial solution and prove that if the partial solution is square-free, then it embeds into the restricted product of a commutative inverse monoid and an inverse symmetric monoid. Furthermore, we show that there is a connection between partial solutions and Thompson’s group F. This raises the question of whether there are further connections between partial solutions and Thompson’s groups in general.

Braiding Operations for a Topological Josephson Junction Array using SFQ Current Pulses

Majorana bound states (MBSs) can occur in topological Josephson junction (JJ) arrays with the presence of a fractional vortex with 2π-phase winding. It has been theoretically shown that the braiding operation can be achieved by using current pulses, compatible with single flux quantum (SFQ) technology. Therefore, we designed an SFQ logic circuit for the braiding operations of the topological JJ array using single flux quanta in a conventional JJ array. Braiding operations could be realized by an SFQ logic circuit with double flux quantum driver. To obtain positive and negative current pulses using the SFQ logic circuit, we used SFQ logic circuits with ac biasing for simulation. Finally, we confirmed the CNOT operation using an array-type SFQ circuit by means of simulation and estimated the CNOT operation speed.

Vortex control in superconducting Corbino geometry networks

In superconductors, vortices induced by a magnetic field are nucleated randomly due to some random fluctuations or pinned by impurities or boundaries, impeding the development of vortex based quantum devices. Here, we propose a superconducting structure which allows to nucleate and control vortices on-demand by controlling magnetic fields and currents. Using time-dependent Ginzburg Landau theory, we study a driven vortex motion in two-dimensional Corbino geometries of superconductor-normal metal-superconductor Josephson junctions. We remedy the randomness of nucleation by introducing normal conducting rails to the Corbino disk to guide the nucleation process and motion of vortices towards the junction. We elaborate on the consequences of rail-vortex and vortex-vortex interactions to the quantization of resistance across the junction. Finally, we simulate the nucleations and manipulations of two and four vortices in Corbino networks, and discuss its application to Majorana zero mode braiding operations. Our study provides a potential route towards quantum computation with non-Abelian anyons.

Non-Abelian operation through scattering between chiral Dirac edge modes

We theoretically demonstrate that the non-Abelian braiding operation can be realized through the scattering between chiral Dirac edge modes (CDEMs) in quantum anomalous Hall insulators by analytically deriving its $S$ matrix. Based on the analytical model, we propose a viable device for the experimental realization and detection of the non-Abelian braiding operations. Through investigating the tunneling conductance in a discretized lattice model, the non-Abelian properties of CDEMs could also be verified in a numerical way. Our proposal for CDEM-based braiding provides an avenue for realizing topologically protected quantum gates.

Unveiling non-Abelian statistics of vortex Majorana bound states in iron-based superconductors using fermionic modes

Motivated by the recent experiments that reported the discovery of vortex Majorana bound states (vMBSs) in iron-based superconductors, we establish a portable scheme to unveil the non-Abelian statistics of vMBSs using normal fermionic modes. The unique non-Abelian statistics of vMBSs is characterized by the charge flip signal of the fermions that can be easily read out through the charge sensing measurement. In particular, the charge flip signal will be significantly suppressed for strong hybridized vMBSs or trivial vortex modes, which efficiently identifies genuine vMBSs. To eliminate the error induced by the unnecessary dynamical evolution of the fermionic modes, we further propose a correction strategy by continually reversing the energy of the fermions, reminiscent of the quantum Zeno effect. Finally, we establish a feasible protocol to perform non-Abelian braiding operations on vMBSs.

Polyadic Braid Operators and Higher Braiding Gates

A new kind of quantum gates, higher braiding gates, as matrix solutions of the polyadic braid equations (different from the generalized Yang–Baxter equations) is introduced. Such gates lead to another special multiqubit entanglement that can speed up key distribution and accelerate algorithms. Ternary braiding gates acting on three qubit states are studied in detail. We also consider exotic non-invertible gates, which can be related with qubit loss, and define partial identities (which can be orthogonal), partial unitarity, and partially bounded operators (which can be non-invertible). We define two classes of matrices, star and circle ones, such that the magic matrices (connected with the Cartan decomposition) belong to the star class. The general algebraic structure of the introduced classes is described in terms of semigroups, ternary and 5-ary groups and modules. The higher braid group and its representation by the higher braid operators are given. Finally, we show, that for each multiqubit state, there exist higher braiding gates that are not entangling, and the concrete conditions to be non-entangling are given for the obtained binary and ternary gates.

Braiding Majorana zero mode in an electrically controllable way

To realize the braiding operations of the Majorana zero modes in the vortex cores of a topological superconductor (TSC), a novel approach is proposed in this letter to replace the common tip (or tip-like) method. Instead of being on top of the TSC thin film, arrays of electrically controllable pinning centers are built beneath the film, hence detection can proceed along with braiding. This does not only increase the braiding rate, but also enables the braiding to be performed in an electrically controllable way and to be integrated into a large scale. Our work paves the way toward large-scale topological quantum computation.

Emulating Quantum Teleportation of a Majorana Zero Mode Qubit.

Topological quantum computation based on anyons is a promising approach to achieve fault-tolerant quantum computing. The Majorana zero modes in the Kitaev chain are an example of non-Abelian anyons where braiding operations can be used to perform quantum gates. Here we perform a quantum simulation of topological quantum computing, by teleporting a qubit encoded in the Majorana zero modes of a Kitaev chain. The quantum simulation is performed by mapping the Kitaev chain to its equivalent spin version and realizing the ground states in a superconducting quantum processor. The teleportation transfers the quantum state encoded in the spin-mapped version of the Majorana zero mode states between two Kitaev chains. The teleportation circuit is realized using only braiding operations and can be achieved despite being restricted to Clifford gates for the Ising anyons. The Majorana encoding is a quantum error detecting code for phase-flip errors, which is used to improve the average fidelity of the teleportation for six distinct states from 70.76±0.35% to 84.60±0.11%, well beyond the classical bound in either case.

Crystalline anisotropic topological superconductivity in planar Josephson junctions

We theoretically investigate the crystalline anisotropy of topological phase transitions in phase-controlled planar Josephson junctions (JJs) subject to spin-orbit coupling and in-plane magnetic fields. It is shown how topological superconductivity (TS) is affected by the interplay between the magnetic field and the orientation of the junction with respect to its crystallographic axes. This interplay can be used to electrically tune between different symmetry classes in a controlled fashion and thereby optimize the stability and localization of Majorana bound states in planar Josephson junctions. Our findings can be used as a guide for achieving the most favorable conditions when engineering TS in planar JJs and can be particularly relevant for setups containing non-collinear junctions which have been proposed for performing braiding operations on multiple Majorana pairs.

Topological Quantum Computing and 3-Manifolds

In this paper, we will present some ideas to use 3D topology for quantum computing. Topological quantum computing in the usual sense works with an encoding of information as knotted quantum states of topological phases of matter, thus being locked into topology to prevent decay. Today, the basic structure is a 2D system to realize anyons with braiding operations. From the topological point of view, we have to deal with surface topology. However, usual materials are 3D objects. Possible topologies for these objects can be more complex than surfaces. From the topological point of view, Thurston’s geometrization theorem gives the main description of 3-dimensional manifolds. Here, complements of knots do play a prominent role and are in principle the main parts to understand 3-manifold topology. For that purpose, we will construct a quantum system on the complements of a knot in the 3-sphere. The whole system depends strongly on the topology of this complement, which is determined by non-contractible, closed curves. Every curve gives a contribution to the quantum states by a phase (Berry phase). Therefore, the quantum states can be manipulated by using the knot group (fundamental group of the knot complement). The universality of these operations was already showed by M. Planat et al.

Realization of arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates based on chiral Majorana fermions* *Project supported by the National Key R&D Program of China (Grant No. 2017YFA0303301), the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Grant No. 11921005), the Strategic Priority Research Program of Chinese Academy of Sciences (Grant No. XDB28000000), and Beijing Municipal Science & Technology Commission, China (Grant No. Z191100007219013).

Quantum computers are in hot-spot with the potential to handle more complex problems than classical computers can. Realizing the quantum computation requires the universal quantum gate set {T, H, CNOT} so as to perform any unitary transformation with arbitrary accuracy. Here we first briefly review the Majorana fermions and then propose the realization of arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates based on chiral Majorana fermions. Elementary cells consist of a quantum anomalous Hall insulator surrounded by a topological superconductor with electric gates and quantum-dot structures, which enable the braiding operation and the partial exchange operation. After defining a qubit by four chiral Majorana fermions, the single-qubit T and H quantum gates are realized via one partial exchange operation and three braiding operations, respectively. The entangled CNOT quantum gate is performed by braiding six chiral Majorana fermions. Besides, we design a powerful device with which arbitrary two-qubit quantum gates can be realized and take the quantum Fourier transform as an example to show that several quantum operations can be performed with this space-limited device. Thus, our proposal could inspire further utilization of mobile chiral Majorana edge states for faster quantum computation.

Generating W states with braiding operators

Braiding operators can be used to create entangled states out of product states, thus establishing a correspondence between topological and quantum entanglement. This is well-known for maximally entangled Bell and GHZ states and their equivalent states under Stochastic Local Operations and Classical Communication, but so far a similar result for W states was missing. Here we use generators of extraspecial 2-groups to obtain the W state in a four-qubit space and partition algebras to generate the W state in a three-qubit space. We also present a unitary generalized Yang-Baxter operator that embeds the W_n state in a (2n-1)-qubit space.

Electron-Tunneling-Assisted Non-Abelian Braiding of Rotating Majorana Bound States.

It has been argued that fluctuations of fermion parity are harmful for the demonstration of non-Abelian anyonic statistics. Here, we demonstrate a striking exception in which such fluctuations are actively used. We present a theory of coherent electron transport from a tunneling tip into a Corbino geometry Josephson junction where four Majorana bound states (MBSs) rotate. While the MBSs rotate, electron tunneling happens from the tip to one of the MBSs thereby changing the fermion parity of the MBSs. The tunneling events in combination with the rotation allow us to identify a novel braiding operator that does not commute with the braiding cycles in the absence of tunneling, revealing the non-Abelian nature of MBSs. The time-averaged tunneling current exhibits resonances as a function of the tip voltage with a period that is a direct consequence of the interference between the noncommuting braiding operations. Our work opens up a possibility for utilizing parity nonconserving processes to control non-Abelian states.

Topological and holonomic quantum computation based on second-order topological superconductors

Majorana fermions feature non-Abelian exchange statistics and promise fascinating applications in topological quantum computation. Recently, second-order topological superconductors (SOTSs) have been proposed to host Majorana fermions as localized quasiparticles with zero excitation energy, pointing out a new avenue to facilitate topological quantum computation. We provide a minimal model for SOTSs and systematically analyze the features of Majorana zero modes with analytical and numerical methods. We further construct the fundamental fusion principles of zero modes stemming from a single or multiple SOTS islands. Finally, we propose concrete schemes in different setups formed by SOTSs, enabling us to exchange and fuse the zero modes for non-Abelian braiding and holonomic quantum gate operations.

On Induction for Twisted Representations of Conformal Nets

For a given finite index inclusion of conformal nets $\mathcal{B}\subset \mathcal{A}$ and a group $G < \mathrm{Aut}(\mathcal{A}, \mathcal{B})$, we consider the induction and the restriction procedures for $G$-twisted representations. We define two induction procedures for $G$-twisted representations, which generalize the $\alpha^{\pm}$-induction for DHR endomorphisms. One is defined with the opposite braiding on the category of $G$-twisted representations as in $\alpha^-$-induction. The other is also defined with the braiding, but additionally with the $G$-equivariant structure on the Q-system associated with $\mathcal{B}\subset \mathcal{A}$ and the action of $G$. We derive some properties and formulas for these induced endomorphisms in a similar way to the case of ordinary $\alpha$-induction. We also show the version of $\alpha\sigma$-reciprocity formula for our setting.

Braiding quantum gates from partition algebras

Unitary braiding operators can be used as robust entangling quantum gates. We introduce a solution-generating technique to solve the (d,m,l)-generalized Yang-Baxter equation, for m/2≤l≤m, which allows to systematically construct such braiding operators. This is achieved by using partition algebras, a generalization of the Temperley-Lieb algebra encountered in statistical mechanics. We obtain families of unitary and non-unitary braiding operators that generate the full braid group. Explicit examples are given for a 2-, 3-, and 4-qubit system, including the classification of the entangled states generated by these operators based on Stochastic Local Operations and Classical Communication.

Non-Abelian Braiding of Dirac Fermionic Modes Using Topological Corner States in Higher-Order Topological Insulator.

We numerically demonstrate that the topological corner states residing in the corners of higher-order topological insulator possess non-Abelian braiding properties. Such topological corner states are Dirac fermionic modes other than Majorana zero modes. We claim that Dirac fermionic modes protected by nontrivial topology also support non-Abelian braiding. An analytical description on such non-Abelian braiding is conducted based on the vortex-induced Dirac-type fermionic modes. Finally, the braiding operators for Dirac fermionic modes, especially their explicit matrix forms, are analytically derived and compared with the case of Majorana zero modes.

Decoherence dynamics of Majorana qubits under braiding operations

We study the decoherence dynamics of Majorana qubit braiding operations in a topological superconducting chain (TSC) system, in which the braiding is performed by controlling the electron-chemical potentials of the TSCs and the couplings between them. By solving rigorously the Majorana qubit dynamics, we show how the Majorana qubit coherence is generated through bogoliubon correlations formed by exchanging Majorana zero modes (MZMs) between two TSCs in braiding operations. Using the exact master equation, we demonstrate how MZMs and also the bogoliubon correlations dissipate due to charge fluctuations of the controlling gates at both the zero and finite temperatures. As a result, Majorana qubit coherence and the fermion parity conservation cannot be immune from local perturbations during braiding operations.