Events at Physics |
Non-Abelian anyons are widely sought for the exotic fundamental
physics they harbour as well as for their possible applications for
quantum information processing. Currently, there are numerous
blueprints for stabilizing the simplest type of non-Abelian anyon, a
Majorana zero energy mode bound to a vortex or a domain wall. One such
candidate system, a so-called "Majorana wire" can be made by
judiciously interfacing readily available materials; the experimental
evidence for the viability of this approach is presently emerging.
Following this idea, we introduce a device fabricated from
conventional fractional quantum Hall states, s-wave superconductors
and insulators with strong spin-orbit coupling. Similarly to a
Majorana wire, the ends of our “quantum wire” would bind
"parafermions", exotic non-Abelian anyons which can be viewed as
fractionalized Majorana zero modes.
I will briefly discuss their properties and describe how such
parafermions can be used to construct new and potentially useful
circuit elements which include current and voltage mirrors,
transistors for fractional charge currents and "flux capacitors".