Jordan-Wigner transformations for tree structures

The celebrated Jordan--Wigner transformation provides an efficient mapping between spin chains and fermionic systems in one dimension. Here we extend this spin-fermion mapping to arbitrary tree structures, which enables mapping between fermionic and spin systems with nearest-neighbor coupling. The mapping is achieved with the help of additional spins at the junctions between one-dimensional chains. This property allows for straightforward simulation of Majorana braiding in spin or qubit systems

Topological Josephson junction in transverse magnetic field

We consider Majorana zero modes in a Josephson junction on top of a topological insulator in transverse magnetic field. Majorana zero modes reside at periodically located nodes of Josephson vortices. We find that hybridization of these modes is prohibited by symmetries of the problem at vanishing chemical potential, which ensures better protection of zero modes and yields methods to control the tunnel coupling between Majorana modes for quantum information processing applications

Emulating Majorana fermions and their braiding by Ising spin chains

We analyze the control of Majorana zero-energy states by mapping the fermionic system onto a chain of Ising spins. Although the topological protection is lost for the Ising system, the mapping provides additional insight into the nature of the quantum states. By controlling the local magnetic field, one can separate the Ising chain into ferromagnetic and paramagnetic phases, corresponding to topological and nontopological sections of the fermionic system. In this paper we propose (topologically nonprotected) protocols performing the braiding operation, and in fact also more general rotations. We first consider a T-junction geometry, but we also propose a protocol for a purely one-dimensional (1D) system. Both setups rely on an extra spin-12 coupler. By including the extra spin in the T-junction geometry, we overcome limitations due to the 1D character of the Jordan-Wigner transformation. In the 1D geometry the coupler, which controls one of the Ising links, should be manipulated once the ferromagnetic (topological) section of the chain is moved far away. We also propose experimental implementations of our scheme. One is based on a chain of flux qubits which allows for all needed control fields. We also describe how to translate our scheme for the 1D setup to a chain of superconducting wires hosting each a pair of Majorana edge states.QRD/Kouwenhoven La