Related Experiment Video
Updated: Mar 1, 2026
07:46
Setting Limits on Supersymmetry Using Simplified Models
Published on: November 15, 2013
9.0K
Non-Abelian Majorana Modes Protected by an Emergent Second Chern Number
Cheung Chan1,2, Xiong-Jun Liu1,2,3
1International Center for Quantum Materials, School of Physics, Peking University, Beijing 100871, People's Republic of China.
Physical Review Letters
|June 6, 2017
Summary
Researchers propose realizing chiral Majorana modes in a pair density wave (PDW) phase within Weyl semimetals. These modes, protected by an emergent second Chern number, exhibit non-Abelian braiding statistics for topological quantum computation.
Area of Science:
- Condensed Matter Physics
- Topological Superconductivity
- Quantum Computation
Background:
- Topological superconductors and non-Abelian Majorana modes are key research areas.
- Chiral Majorana modes are protected by Chern numbers in even dimensions.
Purpose of the Study:
- Propose a novel method to observe chiral Majorana modes.
- Investigate the potential of pair density wave (PDW) phases in Weyl semimetals.
Main Methods:
- Realizing a Fulde-Ferrell-Larkin-Ovchinnikov (PDW) state in a time-reversal symmetry breaking Weyl semimetal.
- Analyzing the topological properties of the 3D gapped PDW phase.
- Investigating vortex lines within the PDW phase.
Main Results:
- A 3D gapped PDW phase is topologically trivial without symmetry protection.
- Vortex lines in the PDW phase host chiral Majorana modes.
- These modes are protected by an emergent second Chern number from a synthetic 4D space.
- Chiral modes in vortex rings exhibit 3D non-Abelian loop-braiding statistics.
Conclusions:
- The proposed system offers a new platform for observing chiral Majorana modes.
- The discovered non-Abelian braiding statistics are applicable to topological quantum computation.
Related Concept Videos
01:03Modes of Standing Waves - I
4.2K
A close look at earthquakes provides evidence for the conditions appropriate for resonance, standing waves, and constructive and destructive interference. A building may vibrate for several seconds with a driving frequency matching the building's natural frequency of vibration; this produces a resonance that results in one building collapsing while the neighboring buildings do not. Often, buildings of a certain height are devastated, while other taller buildings remain intact. This...
4.2K
01:14π Electron Effects on Chemical Shift: Aromatic and Antiaromatic Compounds
2.0K
In aromatic compounds, such as benzene, the circulation of (4n + 2) π-electrons sets up a diamagnetic or diatropic ring current around the perimeter of the molecule. This current induces a magnetic field that opposes the external field inside the ring and reinforces it on the outside. The protons in benzene are deshielded and exhibit high chemical shifts in the range 6.5–8.5 ppm. The shielding effect at the center of the ring is evident in complex aromatic molecules, such as...
2.0K
01:04Modes of Standing Waves: II
1.8K
The starting point for expressing the modes of standing waves is understanding the boundary conditions that the waves must follow. The boundary conditions are derived from the physical understanding of how the standing waves are sustained, that is, how the vibrating particles of the medium behave at the boundaries imposed on them.
For a tube open at one end and closed at the other filled with air, the modes are such that there is always an antinode at the open end and a node at the closed end....
For a tube open at one end and closed at the other filled with air, the modes are such that there is always an antinode at the open end and a node at the closed end....
1.8K
00:59Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Magnetic Moment
3.4K
All atomic nuclei are positively charged. When they have a nonzero spin, they behave like rotating charges. As a consequence of their charge and spin, these nuclei generate a magnetic field (B). This, in turn, gives rise to a magnetic moment (μ), which is randomly oriented in the absence of an external magnetic field. When an external magnetic field (B0) is applied, the magnetic moment vectors can align with the field or against it in 2 + 1 orientations. A hydrogen nucleus, which is just a...
3.4K
01:03Atomic Nuclei: Nuclear Spin State Overview
2.1K
NMR-active nuclei have energy levels called 'spin states' that are associated with the orientations of their nuclear magnetic moments. In the absence of a magnetic field, the nuclear magnetic moments are randomly oriented, and the spin states are degenerate. When an external magnetic field is applied, the spin states have only 2 + 1 orientations available to them. A proton with = ½ has two available orientations. Similarly, for a quadrupolar nucleus with a nuclear spin value of one, the...
2.1K
03:06The Pauli Exclusion Principle
59.9K
The arrangement of electrons in the orbitals of an atom is called its electron configuration. We describe an electron configuration with a symbol that contains three pieces of information:
59.9K