Majorana Qubits and Non-Abelian Physics in Quantum Dot-Based Minimal Kitaev Chains

The possibility of engineering artificial Kitaev chains in arrays of quantum dots coupled via narrow superconducting regions has emerged as an attractive way to overcome the disorder issues that complicate the realization and detection of topological superconducting phases in other platforms. Althou...

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Detalles Bibliográficos
Autores: Tsintzis, A., Seoane Souto, Rubén, Flensberg, K., Danon, J., Leijnse, M.
Tipo de recurso: artículo
Estado:Versión publicada
Fecha de publicación:2024
País:España
Institución:Consejo Superior de Investigaciones Científicas (CSIC)
Repositorio:DIGITAL.CSIC. Repositorio Institucional del CSIC
OAI Identifier:oai:digital.csic.es:10261/389051
Acceso en línea:http://hdl.handle.net/10261/389051
https://www.scopus.com/inward/record.uri?eid=2-s2.0-85184665209&doi=10.1103%2fPRXQuantum.5.010323&partnerID=40&md5=4291fac792296f403bdfd6b9e79f9d4d
Access Level:acceso abierto
Palabra clave:Majorana bound states
Majorana fermions
Mesoscopics
Superconductivity
Quantum dots
Quantum master equation
Descripción
Sumario:The possibility of engineering artificial Kitaev chains in arrays of quantum dots coupled via narrow superconducting regions has emerged as an attractive way to overcome the disorder issues that complicate the realization and detection of topological superconducting phases in other platforms. Although a true topological phase would require long chains, a two-site chain realized in a double quantum dot can already be tuned to points in parameter space where it hosts zero-energy states that seem identical to the Majorana bound states that characterize a topological phase. These states have been named "poor man's Majorana bound states"(PMMs) because they lack formal topological protection. In this work, we propose a pathway for next-generation experiments on PMMs. The pathway starts with experiments to characterize a single pair of PMMs by measuring the Majorana quality and then moves on to initialization and readout of the parity of a PMM pair, which allows the measurement of quasiparticle poisoning times. The next step is to couple two PMM systems to form a qubit. We discuss measurements of the coherence time of such a qubit, as well as a test of Majorana fusion rules in the same setup. Finally, we propose and analyze three different types of braidinglike experiments that require more complex device geometries. Our conclusions are supported by calculations based on a realistic model with interacting and spinful quantum dots, as well as by simpler models to gain physical insight. Our calculations show that it is indeed possible to demonstrate non-Abelian physics in minimal two-site Kitaev chains despite the lack of a true topological phase. However, our findings also reveal that doing so requires some extra care, appropriately modified protocols, and awareness of the details of this particular platform. © 2024 authors. Published by the American Physical Society.