Speaker
Prof.
Kirill Shtengel
(University of California, Riverside, USA)
Description
Abstract: Non-Abelian anyons are widely sought for the
exotic fundamental physics they harbour as well as for their
possible applications for quantum information processing.
Currently, there are numerous blueprints for stabilizing the
simplest type of non-Abelian anyon, a Majorana zero energy
mode bound to a vortex or a domain wall. One such
candidate system, a so-called "Majorana wire" can be made
by judiciously interfacing readily available materials; the
experimental evidence for the viability of this approach is
presently emerging. Following this idea, we introduce a
device fabricated from conventional fractional quantum Hall
states, s-wave superconductors and insulators with strong
spin-orbit coupling. Similarly to a Majorana wire, the ends of
our “quantum wire” would bind "parafermions", exotic non-
Abelian anyons which can be viewed as fractionalised
Majorana zero modes. I will briefly discuss their properties
and describe how such parafermions can be used to
construct new and potentially useful circuit elements which
include current and voltage mirrors, transistors for fractional
charge currents and "flux capacitors".