Localization enhanced and degraded topological order in interacting <mml:math xmlns:mml="http://www.w3.org/1998/Math/MathML"><mml:mi>p</mml:mi></mml:math>-wave wires

Abstract

Interest in quantum memory devices based on topological superconductors and their non-Abelian zero modes is motivated by the observation that at zero temperature the information stored in these devices is exponentially protected. In noninteracting systems, due to the fact that the system can be described using normal modes, much of this protection also exists at higher temperatures. The authors examine here how this picture gradually breaks down at higher temperatures when interactions are present, and explore the conjecture that the topological protection may be recovered by disorder-induced localization. They see that the disorder triggers multiple mechanisms which, depending on the parameters of the system, can both enhance and degrade the stability of the topological zero modes.