Engineering complex topological memories from simple Abelian models

In three spatial dimensions, particles are limited to either bosonic or fermionic statistics. Two-dimensional systems, on the other hand, can support anyonic quasiparticles exhibiting richer statistical behaviors. An exciting proposal for quantum computation is to employ anyonic statistics to manipulate information. Since such statistical evolutions depend only on topological characteristics, the resulting computation is intrinsically resilient to errors. The so-called non-Abelian anyons are most promising for quantum computation, but their physical realization may prove to be complex. Abelian anyons, however, are easier to understand theoretically and realize experimentally. Here we show that complex topological memories inspired by non-Abelian anyons can be engineered in Abelian models. We explicitly demonstrate the control procedures for the encoding and manipulation of quantum information in specific lattice models that can be implemented in the laboratory. This bridges the gap between requirements for anyonic quantum computation and the potential of state-of-the-art technology.     

On the connetion between Euclidean and Hamiltonian lattice field theories of vortices and anyons

In the (2+1)-dimensional non-compact Abelian lattice Higgs model Euclidean correlation functions of vortices and, after adding the Chern-Simons term to the action, correlation functions of transmuted matter fields (anyons) are set up. These correlation functions satisfy Osterwalder-Schrader positivity. Via the transition to continuous Euclidean time, vortex and anyon operators within a Hamiltonian lattice formulation are obtained, respectively, and their respective dual algebras are displayed.     

Anyonic quantum walks

The one dimensional quantum walk of anyonic systems is presented. The anyonic walker performs braiding operations with stationary anyons of the same type ordered canonically on the line of the walk. Abelian as well as non-Abelian anyons are studied and it is shown that they have very different properties. Abelian anyonic walks demonstrate the expected quadratic quantum speedup. Non-Abelian anyonic walks are much more subtle. The exponential increase of the system’s Hilbert space and the particular statistical evolution of non-Abelian anyons give a variety of new behaviors. The position distribution of the walker is related to Jones polynomials, topological invariants of the links created by the anyonic world-lines during the walk. Several examples such as the SU(2)_k and the quantum double models are considered that provide insight to the rich diffusion properties of anyons.     

A Scheme for Simulation of Quantum Gates byAbelian Anyons

Anyons can be used to realize quantum computation, because they are two-level systems in two dimensions. In this paper, we propose a scheme to simulate single-qubit gates and CNOT gate using Abelian anyons in the Kitaev model. Two pairs of anyons (six spins) are used to realize single-qubit gates, while ten spins are needed for the CNOT gate. Based on these quantum gates, we show how to realize the Grover algorithm in a two-qubit system.     

Anyons in an exactly solved model and beyond

A spin-1/2 system on a honeycomb lattice is studied. The interactions between nearest neighbors are of XX, YY or ZZ type, depending on the direction of the link; different types of interactions may differ in strength. The model is solved exactly by a reduction to free fermions in a static Z₂ gauge field. A phase diagram in the parameter space is obtained. One of the phases has an energy gap and carries excitations that are Abelian anyons. The other phase is gapless, but acquires a gap in the presence of magnetic field. In the latter case excitations are non-Abelian anyons whose braiding rules coincide with those of conformal blocks for the Ising model. We also consider a general theory of free fermions with a gapped spectrum, which is characterized by a spectral Chern number ν. The Abelian and non-Abelian phases of the original model correspond to ν = 0 and ν = ±1, respectively. The anyonic properties of excitation depend on ν mod 16, whereas ν itself governs edge thermal transport. The paper also provides mathematical background on anyons as well as an elementary theory of Chern number for quasidiagonal matrices.     

Slave anyons in the t-J model at the supersymmetric point

We discuss the properties of the supersymmetric t-J model in the formalism of the slave operators. In particular we introduce a generalized abelian bosonization for the model in two dimensions, and show that holons and spinons can be anyons of arbitrary complementary statistics (slave-anyon representation). The braiding properties of these anyonic operators are thoroughly analyzed, and are used to provide an explicit linear realization of the superalgebra SU(1|2). Finally, we prove that the hamiltonian of the t-J model in the slave-anyon representation is invariant under SU(1|2) for J = 2t.     

Non-Abelian Chern-Simons particles in an external magnetic field

The quantum mechanics and thermodynamics of SU(2) non-Abelian Chern-Simons particles (non-Abelian anyons) in an external magnetic field are addressed. We derive the N-body Hamiltonian in the (anti-) holomorphic gauge when the Hilbert space is projected onto the lowest Landau level of the magnetic field. In the presence of an additional harmonic potential, the N-body spectrum depends linearly on the coupling (statistics) parameter. We calculate the second virial coefficient and find that in the strong magnetic field limit it develops a step-wise behavior as a function of the statistics parameter, in contrast to the linear dependence in the case of Abelian anyons. For small enough values of the statistics parameter we relate the N-body partition functions in the lowest Landau level to these of SU(2) bosons and find that the cluster (and virial) coefficients dependence on the statistics parameter cancels.     

Interferometry of non-Abelian anyons

We develop the general quantum measurement theory of non-Abelian anyons through interference experiments. The paper starts with a terse introduction to the theory of anyon models, focusing on the basic formalism necessary to apply standard quantum measurement theory to such systems. This is then applied to give a detailed analysis of anyonic charge measurements using a Mach-Zehnder interferometer for arbitrary anyon models. We find that, as anyonic probes are sent through the legs of the interferometer, superpositions of the total anyonic charge located in the target region collapse when they are distinguishable via monodromy with the probe anyons, which also determines the rate of collapse. We give estimates on the number of probes needed to obtain a desired confidence level for the measurement outcome distinguishing between charges, and explicitly work out a number of examples for some significant anyon models. We apply the same techniques to describe interferometry measurements in a double point-contact interferometer realized in fractional quantum Hall systems. To lowest order in tunneling, these results essentially match those from the Mach-Zehnder interferometer, but we also provide the corrections due to processes involving multiple tunnelings. Finally, we give explicit predictions describing state measurements for experiments in the Abelian hierarchy states, the non-Abelian Moore-Read state at ν=5/2 and Read-Rezayi state at ν=12/5.     

Steady State of Stochastic Sandpile Models

We study the steady state of the Abelian sandpile models with stochastic toppling rules. The particle addition operators commute with each other, but in general these operators need not be diagonalizable. We use their Abelian algebra to determine their eigenvalues, and the Jordan block structure. These are then used to determine the probability of different configurations in the steady state. We illustrate this procedure by explicitly determining the numerically exact steady state for a one dimensional example, for systems of size ≤12, and also study the density profile in the steady state.     

Surface operators and magnetic degrees of freedom in yang-mills theories

Magnetic degrees of freedom are manifested through violations of the Bianchi identities and associated with singular fields. Moreover, these singularities should not induce color nonconservation. We argue that the resolution of the constraint is that the singular fields, or defects are Abelian in nature. Recently proposed surface operators seem to represent a general solution to this constraint and can serve as a prototype of magnetic degrees of freedom. Some basic lattice observations, such as the Abelian dominance of the confining fields, are explained then as consequences of the original non-Abelian invariance. Generically, the properties of the two-dimensional defects associated with the surface operators are close to the predictions of the dual models for the magnetic D2 branes.     

Abelian and non-Abelian anomalies in monopole-fermion interactions

Taking an example of the standard SU(5) theory, the monopole-fermion system is reduced to an effective 2-dimensional model. This is a generalized Schwinger model containing four Abelian gauge fields interacting with N generations of massless fermions through vector and axialvector couplings. We quantize such a system exactly in the canonical operator formalism. Then, analyzing the cluster property of operators carrying various chiral charges, the roles of the Abelian and non-Abelian anomalies are studied in monopole-induced baryon decay. We demonstrate that the Abelian anomaly and the charge-mixing boundary condition are the driving forces for monopole-induced baryon decay, though the conservation law suggests the importance of the non-Abelian anomaly.     

Correlators and fractional statistics in the quantum Hall bulk

We derive one-particle and two-particle correlators of anyons in the lowest Landau level. We show that the two-particle correlator exhibits signatures of fractional statistics which can distinguish anyons from their fermionic and bosonic counterparts. These signatures include the zeros of the two-particle correlator and its exclusion behavior. We find that the one-particle correlator in finite geometries carries valuable information relevant to experiments in which quasiparticles on the edge of a quantum Hall system tunnel through its bulk.     

Scheme for demonstration of fractional statistics of anyons in an exactly solvable model

We propose a scheme to demonstrate fractional statistics of anyons in an exactly solvable lattice model proposed by Kitaev that involves four-body interactions. The required many-body ground state, as well as the anyon excitations and their braiding operations, can be conveniently realized through dynamic laser manipulation of cold atoms in an optical lattice. Because of the perfect localization of anyons in this model, we show that a quantum circuit with only six qubits is enough for demonstration of the basic braiding statistics of anyons. This opens up the immediate possibility of proof-of-principle experiments with trapped ions, photons, or nuclear magnetic resonance systems.     

A field-theoretic model for Hodge theory

We demonstrate that the four-dimensional (4D) ((3+1)-dimensional) free Abelian 2-form gauge theory presents a tractable field-theoretical model for the Hodge theory where the well-defined symmetry transformations correspond to the de Rham cohomological operators of differential geometry. The conserved charges, corresponding to the above continuous symmetry transformations, obey an algebra that is reminiscent of the algebra obeyed by the cohomological operators. The discrete symmetry transformation of the theory represents the realization of the Hodge duality operation that exists in the relationship between the exterior and co-exterior derivatives of differential geometry. Thus, we provide the realizations of all the mathematical quantities, associated with the de Rham cohomological operators, in the language of the symmetries of the present 4D free Abelian 2-form gauge theory.     

Emergent fermions and anyons in the kitaev model

We study the gapped phase of the Kitaev model on the honeycomb lattice using perturbative continuous unitary transformations. The effective low-energy Hamiltonian is found to be an extended toric code with interacting anyons. High-energy excitations are emerging free fermions which are composed of hard-core bosons with an attached string of spin operators. The excitation spectrum is mapped onto that of a single particle hopping on a square lattice in a magnetic field. We also illustrate how to compute correlation functions in this framework. The present approach yields analytical perturbative results in the thermodynamical limit without using the Majorana or the Jordan-Wigner fermionization initially proposed to solve this problem.     

Effective gauge potentials induced by superconducting quantum circuits

We theoretically propose a scheme to induce non-Abelian and Abelian gauge potentials by the same superconducting circuit device. The level spacings of Cooper-pair box can be designed to resonantly match or largely detune from the mode frequencies of the one-dimensional transmission line resonators. We show the appearances of the effective gauge potentials via field quadrature operators. This scheme could help investigating the fundamental characteristics of the gauge theories with Josephson circuits.     

On free 4D Abelian 2-form and anomalous 2D Abelian 1-form gauge theories

We demonstrate a few striking similarities and some glaring differences between (i) the free four- (3+1)-dimensional (4D) Abelian 2-form gauge theory, and (ii) the anomalous two- (1+1)-dimensional (2D) Abelian 1-form gauge theory, within the framework of Becchi–Rouet–Stora–Tyutin (BRST) formalism. We demonstrate that the Lagrangian densities of the above two theories transform in a similar fashion under a set of symmetry transformations even though they are endowed with a drastically different variety of constraint structures. With the help of our understanding of the 4D Abelian 2-form gauge theory, we prove that the gauge-invariant version of the anomalous 2D Abelian 1-form gauge theory is a new field-theoretic model for the Hodge theory where all the de Rham cohomological operators of differential geometry find their physical realizations in the language of proper symmetry transformations. The corresponding conserved charges obey an algebra that is reminiscent of the algebra of the cohomological operators. We briefly comment on the consistency of the 2D anomalous 1-form gauge theory in the language of restrictions on the harmonic state of the (anti-) BRST and (anti-) co-BRST invariant version of the above 2D theory.     

Jain hierarchy for the fractional quantum Hall effect

We propose the effective hierarchical partition function which is able to describe both the Jain states and the Jain-type hierarchical states. Using this partition function (effective Lagrangian) we calculate the charge of the quasiparticle excitations. We show that the Jain-type hierarchical states are equivalent to the system of anyons in the external magnetic field.