In a groundbreaking discovery published in Nature, a collaborative research team has identified the world’s first multiple Majorana zero modes (MZMs) in a single vortex of the superconducting topological crystalline insulator SnTe. This discovery opens up new possibilities for controlling the coupling between MZMs and offers a promising pathway to realizing fault-tolerant quantum computers. Led by Prof. Junwei Liu from the Hong Kong University of Science and Technology (HKUST), along with Prof. Jinfeng Jia and Prof. Yaoyi Li from Shanghai Jiao Tong University (SJTU), the team’s findings have significant implications for the future of quantum computing.
Majorana zero modes (MZMs) are zero-energy quasiparticles in superconductors that exhibit topologically nontrivial properties, including non-Abelian statistics. This unique characteristic allows for different braiding sequences that result in equivalent final states, making MZMs highly resilient to local perturbations. As a result, MZMs are considered an ideal platform for fault-tolerant quantum computation, which is crucial for the development of robust quantum computers capable of performing complex tasks with high efficiency.
The Challenges in Manipulating MZMs
Despite the progress made in engineering artificial topological superconductors, the braiding and manipulation of MZMs have remained challenging due to their spatial separation, which complicates the required movements for hybridization. Traditional methods for controlling MZMs often involve real space movement or strong magnetic fields, posing practical difficulties in experimental implementation.
The collaborative research team, composed of a theoretical group at HKUST and an experimental group at SJTU, took a novel approach by leveraging the unique feature of crystal-symmetry-protected MZMs to overcome these challenges. By exploiting crystal symmetry, the team demonstrated the existence and hybridization of multiple MZMs in a single vortex of SnTe without the need for real space movement or strong magnetic fields. This innovative methodology represents a significant advancement in the field of quantum computing.
The experimental group at SJTU observed notable changes in the zero-bias peak, a key indicator of MZMs, in the SnTe/Pb heterostructure under tilted magnetic fields. Subsequently, the HKUST theoretical team conducted extensive numerical simulations to confirm that the anisotropic responses to tilted magnetic fields were indeed attributed to crystal-symmetry-protected MZMs. By utilizing advanced simulation techniques, such as the kernel polynomial method, the team successfully modeled large vortex systems with millions of orbitals, enabling further exploration of novel properties in vortex systems beyond crystal-symmetry-protected MZMs.
The research findings represent a significant advancement in the detection and manipulation of crystal-symmetry-protected multiple MZMs. The ability to control the coupling between MZMs opens the door to experimental demonstrations of non-Abelian statistics and the development of new types of topological qubits and quantum gates based on crystal symmetry. This breakthrough paves the way for the practical realization of fault-tolerant quantum computers with unprecedented computational power and efficiency.
The discovery of multiple Majorana zero modes in a single vortex of SnTe marks a major milestone in the field of quantum computing. The innovative use of crystal symmetry to control the coupling between MZMs represents a significant step forward in the quest for fault-tolerant quantum computers. The collaborative efforts of the research team have not only expanded our understanding of topological quantum phenomena but also laid the foundation for future advancements in quantum computing technology.
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