Topological Discrete Algebra, Ground State Degeneracy, and Quark Confinement in QCD

Based on the permutation group formalism, we present a discrete symmetry algebra in QCD. The discrete algebra is hidden symmetry in QCD, which is manifest only on a space-manifold with non-trivial topology. Quark confinement in the presence of the dynamical quarks is discussed in terms of the discrete symmetry algebra. It is shown that the quark deconfinement phase has the ground state degeneracy depending on the topology of the space, which gives a gauge-invariant distinction between the confinement and deconfinement phases. We also point out that new quantum numbers relating to the fractional quantum Hall effect exist in the deconfinement phase.Comment: 11 pages, 1 figur

Non-Abelian Topological Order in S-Wave Superfluids of Ultracold Fermionic Atoms

We show that in s-wave superfluids of cold fermionic atoms with laser-field-generated effective spin-orbit interactions, a topological phase with gapless edge states and Majorana fermion quasiparticles obeying the non-Abelian statistics is realized in the case with a large Zeeman magnetic field. Our scenario provides a promising approach for quantum computation manipulating non-Abelian anyons via an s-wave Feshbach resonance.Comment: 5 pages, 2 figures. Some minor improvements were mad