Introduction to Topological Quantum Matter and Quantum Computation

What is "topological" about topological quantum states? How many types of topological quantum phases are there? What is a zero-energy Majorana mode, how can it be realized in a solid-state system, and how can it be used as a platform for topological quantum computation? What is quantum computation and what makes it different from classical computation?

Addressing these and other related questions, Introduction to Topological Quantum Matter & Quantum Computation provides an introduction to and a synthesis of a fascinating and rapidly expanding research field emerging at the crossroads of condensed matter physics, mathematics, and computer science. Providing the big picture and emphasizing two major new paradigms in condensed matter physics – quantum topology and quantum information – this book is ideal for graduate students and researchers entering this field, as it allows for the fruitful transfer of ideas amongst different areas, and includes many specific examples to help the reader understand abstract and sometimes challenging concepts. It explores the topological quantum world beyond the well-known topological insulators and superconductors and unveils the deep connections with quantum computation. It addresses key principles behind the classification of topological quantum phases and relevant mathematical concepts and discusses models of interacting and noninteracting topological systems, such as the toric code and the p-wave superconductor. The book also covers the basic properties of anyons, and aspects concerning the realization of topological states in solid state structures and cold atom systems.

Topological quantum computation is also presented using a broad perspective, which includes elements of classical and quantum information theory, basic concepts in the theory of computation, such as computational models and computational complexity, examples of quantum algorithms, and key ideas underlying quantum computation with anyons. This new edition has been updated throughout, with exciting new discussions on crystalline topological phases, including higher-order topological insulators; gapless topological phases, including Weyl semimetals; periodically-driven topological insulators; and a discussion of axion electrodynamics in topological materials.

Key Features:

· Provides an accessible introduction to this exciting, cross-disciplinary area of research.

· Fully updated throughout with new content on the latest result from the field.

· Authored by an authority on the subject.

Tudor Stanescu is a professor of Condensed Matter Theory at West Virginia University, USA. He received a B.S. in Physics from the University of Bucharest, Romania, in 1994 and a Ph.D. in Theoretical Physics from the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign in 2002. He was a Postdoctoral Fellow at Rutgers University and at the University of Maryland from 2003 to 2009. He joined the Department of Physics and Astronomy at West Virginia University in Fall 2009. Prof. Stanescu’s research interests encompass a variety of topics in theoretical condensed matter physics including topological insulators and superconductors, topological quantum computation, ultra-cold atom systems in optical lattices, and strongly correlated materials, such as, for example, cuprate high-temperature superconductors. His research uses a combination of analytical and numerical tools and focuses on understanding the emergence of exotic states of matter in solid state and cold atom structures, for example, topological superconducting phases that host Majorana zero modes, and on investigating the possibilities of exploiting these states as physical platforms for quantum computation.