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Symmetry-Protected Topological Edge Modes and Emergent Partial Time-Reversal Symmetry Breaking in Open Quantum
Zijian Wang1,2, Qiaoyi Li3, Wei Li3
1Wilczek Quantum Center and Key Laboratory of Artificial Structures and Quantum Control, School of Physics and Astronomy, Shanghai Jiao Tong University, Shanghai 200240, China.
Physical Review Letters
|June 25, 2021
Summary
Quantum baths can disrupt topological edge modes. Breaking time-reversal symmetry (TRS) causes these modes to diffuse into the bath, hindering quantum computation applications.
Area of Science:
- Topological physics
- Quantum information science
- Condensed matter physics
Background:
- Symmetry-protected topological edge modes are crucial phenomena in topological physics.
- Understanding their behavior in open quantum systems is essential for quantum technologies.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of quantum baths on topological edge modes.
- To analyze the role of system-bath coupling symmetries and bath properties.
Main Methods:
- Formulation and quantitative examination of quantum bath effects.
- Utilizing the density matrix renormalization group (DMRG) method.
- Studying the ground state of a composite spin-1 quantum chain system-bath model.
Main Results:
- The dependence of edge modes on global and partial symmetries of system-bath coupling was analyzed.
- The influence of quantum bath characteristics on edge modes was quantitatively examined.
- Time-reversal symmetry (TRS) was found to play a critical role in open quantum systems.
Conclusions:
- Emergent partial TRS breaking leads to the diffusion of TRS-protected topological modes into the bath.
- This diffusion renders the edge modes ineffective for quantum computation.
- The findings highlight the sensitivity of topological edge modes to environmental interactions.
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