Introduction to abelian and non-abelian anyons

Physical Review B, 2013

Topological degeneracy is the degeneracy of the ground states in a many-body system in the large-system-size limit. Topological degeneracy cannot be lifted by any local perturbation of the Hamiltonian. The topological degeneracies on closed manifolds have been used to discover/define topological order in many-body systems, which contain excitations with fractional statistics. In this paper, we study a new type of topological degeneracy induced by condensing anyons along a line in two-dimensional topological ordered states. Such topological degeneracy can be viewed as carried by each end of the line defect, which is a generalization of Majorana zero modes. The topological degeneracy can be used as a quantum memory. The ends of line defects carry projective non-Abelian statistics even though they are produced by the condensation of Abelian anyons, and braiding them allows us to perform fault tolerant quantum computations.

2007

In two-dimensions, the laws of physics even permit the existence of anyons which exhibit fractional statistics ranging continuously from bosonic to fermionic behaviour. They have been responsible for the fractional quantum Hall effect and proposed as candidates for naturally fault-tolerant quantum computation. Despite these remarkable properties, the fractional statistics of anyons has never been observed in nature directly. Here we report the demonstration of fractional statistics of anyons by simulation of the first Kitaev lattice-spin model on a nuclear magnetic resonance system. We encode four-body interactions of the lattice-spin model into two-body interactions of an Ising spin chain in molecules. It can thus efficiently prepare and operate the ground state and excitations of the model Hamiltonian. This quantum system with convenience of manipulation and detection of abelian anyons reveals anyonic statistical properties distinctly. Our experiment with interacted Hamiltonian co...

We study the non-Abelian statistics characterizing systems where counterpropagating gapless modes on the edges of fractional quantum Hall states are gapped by proximity coupling to superconductors and ferromagnets. The most transparent example is that of a fractional quantum spin Hall state, in which electrons of one spin direction occupy a fractional quantum Hall state of ¼ 1=m, while electrons of the opposite spin occupy a similar state with ¼ À1=m. However, we also propose other examples of such systems, which are easier to realize experimentally. We find that each interface between a region on the edge coupled to a superconductor and a region coupled to a ferromagnet corresponds to a non-Abelian anyon of quantum dimension ffiffiffiffiffiffi ffi 2m p . We calculate the unitary transformations that are associated with the braiding of these anyons, and we show that they are able to realize a richer set of non-Abelian representations of the braid group than the set realized by non-Abelian anyons based on Majorana fermions. We carry out this calculation both explicitly and by applying general considerations. Finally, we show that topological manipulations with these anyons cannot realize universal quantum computation.

arXiv: Quantum Physics, 2017

The content of this thesis can be broadly summarised into two categories: first, I constructed modified numerical algorithms based on tensor networks to simulate systems of anyons in low dimensions, and second, I used those methods to study the topological phases the anyons form when they braid around one another. In the first phase of my thesis, I extended the anyonic tensor network algorithms, by incorporating U(1) symmetry to give a modified ansatz, Anyon-U(1) tensor networks, which are capable of simulating anyonic systems at any rational filling fraction. In the second phase, I used the numerical methods to study some models of non-Abelian anyons that naturally allows for exchange of anyons. I proposed a lattice model of anyons, which I dubbed anyonic Hubbard model, which is a pair of coupled chains of anyons (or simply called anyonic ladder). Each site of the ladder can either host a single anyonic charge, or it can be empty. The anyons are able to move around, interact with o...

2012

We study a 2+1 dimensional theory of bosons and fermions with an ω ∝ k 2 dispersion relation. The most general interactions consistent with specific symmetries impart fractional statistics to the fermions. Unlike examples involving Chern-Simons gauge theories, our statistical phases derive from the exchange of gapless propagating bosons with marginal interactions. Even though no gap exists, we show that the anyonic statistics are precisely defined. Symmetries combine with the vacuum structure to guarantee the non-renormalization of our anyonic phases. arXiv:1205.6816v1 [hep-th] 30 May 2012 1 Despite the absence of a gap, the anyonic phase is well-defined, as we show in section 3.1

Topological quantum computation using abelian anyons in Kitaev model is studied. We initially discuss the basics of quantum computation and then present a brief description of topological quantum computation using anyons. The exact solution of the 2D Kitaev model and the emergence of abelian anyons is also described. We also discuss quantum error correction and error tolerant quantum memory using Kitaev’s toric code. Abelian anyonic quantum computation, though not completely fault-tolerant, the universal gates can be realized by including some non topological operations with the topological operations. We verify an already proposed model to realize the universal gates in 2D Kitaev lattice by explicitly investigating the theoretical implementation. We find that the adiabatic transport of anyons for braiding cannot be directly represented by some loop operator if they are to be used for a controlled gate operation.

2024

Simulators can realize novel phenomena by separating them from the complexities of a full physical implementation. Here, we put forward a scheme that can simulate the exotic statistics of DðS 3 Þ non-Abelian anyons with minimal resources. The qudit lattice representation of this planar code supports local encoding of DðS 3 Þ anyons. As a proof-of-principle demonstration, we employ a classical photonic simulator to encode a single qutrit and manipulate it to perform the fusion and braiding properties of non-Abelian DðS 3 Þ anyons. The photonic technology allows us to perform the required nonunitary operations with much higher fidelity than what can be achieved with current quantum computers. Our approach can be directly generalized to larger systems or to different anyonic models, thus enabling advances in the exploration of quantum error correction and fundamental physics alike.

In this paper, we report on the study of Abelian and non-Abelian statistics through Fabry-Perot interferometry of fractional quantum Hall (FQH) systems. Our detection of phase slips in quantum interference experiments demonstrates a powerful, new way of detecting braiding of anyons. We confirm the Abelian anyonic braiding statistics in the $\nu = 7/3$ FQH state through detection of the predicted statistical phase angle of $2\pi/3$, consistent with a change of the anyonic particle number by one. The $\nu = 5/2$ FQH state is theoretically believed to harbor non-Abelian anyons which are Majorana, meaning that each pair of quasiparticles contain a neutral fermion orbital which can be occupied or unoccupied and hence can act as a qubit. In this case our observed statistical phase slips agree with a theoretical model where the Majoranas are strongly coupled to each other, and strongly coupled to the edge modes of the interferometer. In particular, an observed phase slip of approximately $...

New Journal of Physics, 2009

Anyons are quasiparticles in two-dimensional systems that show statistical properties very distinct from those of bosons or fermions. While their isolated observation has not yet been achieved, here we perform a quantum simulation of anyons on the toric code model. By encoding the model in the multi-partite entangled state of polarized photons, we are able to demonstrate various manipulations of anyonic states and, in particular, their characteristic fractional statistics.

Reviews of Modern Physics, 2008

Topological quantum computation has recently emerged as one of the most exciting approaches to constructing a fault-tolerant quantum computer. The proposal relies on the existence of topological states of matter whose quasiparticle excitations are neither bosons nor fermions, but are particles known as Non-Abelian anyons, meaning that they obey non-Abelian braiding statistics. Quantum information is stored in states with multiple quasiparticles, which have a topological degeneracy. The unitary gate operations which are necessary for quantum computation are carried out by braiding quasiparticles, and then measuring the multi-quasiparticle states. The fault-tolerance of a topological quantum computer arises from the non-local encoding of the states of the quasiparticles, which makes them immune to errors caused by local perturbations. To date, the only such topological states thought to have been found in nature are fractional quantum Hall states, most prominently the ν = 5/2 state, although several other prospective candidates have been proposed in systems as disparate as ultra-cold atoms in optical lattices and thin film superconductors. In this review article, we describe current research in this field, focusing on the general theoretical concepts of non-Abelian statistics as it relates to topological quantum computation, on understanding non-Abelian quantum Hall states, on proposed experiments to detect non-Abelian anyons, and on proposed architectures for a topological quantum computer. We address both the mathematical underpinnings of topological quantum computation and the physics of the subject using the ν = 5/2 fractional quantum Hall state as the archetype of a non-Abelian topological state enabling fault-tolerant quantum computation.