Topology by Dissipation: Majorana Fermions in One and Two Dimensions

Sebastian Diehl (1,2)

Collaborators on the work presented: Baranov, M. A. (1,2), Bardyn, C. E. (3), Imamoglu, A. (3), Rico, E. (1,2), Zoller, P. (1,2)

(1) Institut fuer Theoretische Physik, University of Innsbruck
(2) Institute for Quantum Optics and Quantum Information, Innsbruck
(3) ETH Zurich

We discuss the emergence of topological phases in stationary states of engineered driven-dissipative dynamics.
To set the stage, first the basic setting of quantum state engineering via dissipation in many-body systems of atomic bosons and fermions is sketched. Then we focus on a quantum wire of spinless atomic fermions in an optical lattice coupled to a bath. The key feature of the dissipative dynamics described by a Lindblad master equation here is the existence of Majorana edge modes, representing a non-local decoherence free subspace. We highlight the characteristic many-body properties of such states, which exhibit phenomena without Hamiltonian counterpart -- especially in an extension of the concept to two dimensions. We also discuss possible preparation and detection schemes to reveal the Majorana physics.