Date/Time
Date(s) - 20/01/2005
3:00 pm - 4:00 pm

Title: Non-Abelian Anyons, Topological Order and Quantum Computation

Speaker: Dr. Kirill Shtengel

Institute: Institute for Quantum Information
California Institute of Technology

Location: BSB 108

Description:

A concept of topological order originally introduced in the context of Fractional Quantum Hall Effect has recently become a hot topic in such diverse fields as high-temperature superconductivity, frustrated magnetism and quantum computation. Among other things, topological order is manifested by the non-trivial exchange statistics of excitations, Abelian and non-Abelian anyons. In one of its simplest forms, such order in a magnetic system should lead to spin-charge separation — one of the interesting (yet unlikely) possible mechanisms for high-temperature superconductivity. From the point of view of quantum computation, one of the biggest challenges is making it fault-tolerant. Being able to use topological properties to encode quantum information can make it highly resistant to decoherence. After reviewing the current state of search for topological phases in condensed matter, I will discuss models with non-Abelian topological order, their effective description in terms of Topological Quantum Field Theory as well as some new ideas about physical implementation of such systems. If found experimentally, these systems will provide a basis for building a truly fault-tolerant quantum computer.