Crystalline-symmetry-protected Majorana modes in coupled quantum dots
We propose a minimalist architecture for achieving various crystalline-symmetry-protected Majorana modes in an array of coupled quantum dots. Our framework is motivated by the recent experimental demonstrations of two-site and three-site artificial Kitaev chains in a similar setup. We find that intr...
Saved in:
| Main Authors: | , , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
American Physical Society
2025-01-01
|
| Series: | Physical Review Research |
| Online Access: | http://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevResearch.7.L012022 |
| Tags: |
Add Tag
No Tags, Be the first to tag this record!
|
| Summary: | We propose a minimalist architecture for achieving various crystalline-symmetry-protected Majorana modes in an array of coupled quantum dots. Our framework is motivated by the recent experimental demonstrations of two-site and three-site artificial Kitaev chains in a similar setup. We find that introducing a π-phase domain wall in the Kitaev chain leads to a pair of mirror-protected Majorana zero modes located at or near the junction. Joining two π junctions into a closed loop, we can simulate two distinct classes of two-dimensional higher-order topological superconducting phases, both carrying symmetry-protected Majorana modes around the sample corners. As an extension of the π junction, we further consider a general vertex structure where n Kitaev chains meet, i.e., a Kitaev n vertex. We prove that such an n vertex, if respecting a dihedral symmetry group D_{n}, necessarily carries n vertex-bound Majorana modes protected by the D_{n} symmetry. Resilience of the junction and vertex Majorana bound states against disorder and correlation effects is also discussed. Our architecture paves the way for designing, constructing, and exploring a wide variety of artificial topological crystalline phases in quantum-dot experiments. |
|---|---|
| ISSN: | 2643-1564 |