TY - JOUR
T1 - A topological Josephson junction platform for creating, manipulating, and braiding Majorana bound states
AU - Hegde, Suraj S.
AU - Yue, Guang
AU - Wang, Yuxuan
AU - Huemiller, Erik
AU - Van Harlingen, D. J.
AU - Vishveshwara, Smitha
N1 - Publisher Copyright:
© 2020 Elsevier Inc.
PY - 2020/12
Y1 - 2020/12
N2 - As part of the intense effort toward identifying platforms in which Majorana bound states can be realized and manipulated to perform qubit operations, we propose a topological Josephson junction architecture that achieves these capabilities and which can be experimentally implemented. The platform uses conventional superconducting electrodes deposited on a topological insulator film to form networks of proximity-coupled lateral Josephson junctions. Magnetic fields threading the network of junction barriers create Josephson vortices that host Majorana bound states localized in the junction where the local phase difference is an odd multiple of π, i.e. attached to the cores of the Josephson vortices. This enables us to manipulate the Majorana states by moving the Josephson vortices, achieving functionality exclusive to these systems in contrast to others, such as those composed of topological superconductor nanowires. We describe protocols for: (1) braiding localized Majorana states by exchange, (2) controlling the separation and hence the coupling of adjacent localized Majorana states to effect non-Abelian rotations via hybridization of the Majorana modes, and (3) reading out changes in the non-local parity correlations induced by such operations. These schemes utilize current pulses and local magnetic field pulses to control the location of vortices, and measurements of the Josephson current–phase relation to reveal the presence of the Majorana bound states. Finally, we present brief discussions of readout schemes and viable experimental settings for realizing the platform.
AB - As part of the intense effort toward identifying platforms in which Majorana bound states can be realized and manipulated to perform qubit operations, we propose a topological Josephson junction architecture that achieves these capabilities and which can be experimentally implemented. The platform uses conventional superconducting electrodes deposited on a topological insulator film to form networks of proximity-coupled lateral Josephson junctions. Magnetic fields threading the network of junction barriers create Josephson vortices that host Majorana bound states localized in the junction where the local phase difference is an odd multiple of π, i.e. attached to the cores of the Josephson vortices. This enables us to manipulate the Majorana states by moving the Josephson vortices, achieving functionality exclusive to these systems in contrast to others, such as those composed of topological superconductor nanowires. We describe protocols for: (1) braiding localized Majorana states by exchange, (2) controlling the separation and hence the coupling of adjacent localized Majorana states to effect non-Abelian rotations via hybridization of the Majorana modes, and (3) reading out changes in the non-local parity correlations induced by such operations. These schemes utilize current pulses and local magnetic field pulses to control the location of vortices, and measurements of the Josephson current–phase relation to reveal the presence of the Majorana bound states. Finally, we present brief discussions of readout schemes and viable experimental settings for realizing the platform.
KW - Josephson interferometry
KW - Josephson junctions
KW - Majorana modes
KW - Non-Abelian braiding
KW - Qubit operations
KW - Topological superconductors
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/record.url?scp=85095701328&partnerID=8YFLogxK
UR - http://www.scopus.com/inward/citedby.url?scp=85095701328&partnerID=8YFLogxK
U2 - 10.1016/j.aop.2020.168326
DO - 10.1016/j.aop.2020.168326
M3 - Article
AN - SCOPUS:85095701328
SN - 0003-4916
VL - 423
JO - Annals of Physics
JF - Annals of Physics
M1 - 168326
ER -